Stellar Collision
by Ruinous79
Summary: When the Eleventh Doctor falls into a trap, a black hole becomes a portal to another universe. Blind, injured and dreaming of a troubled woman he's never met, he needs all the help he can get. What would happen if you had to rely on a stranger to guide you home? What if that stranger was terribly lost herself?*Part 1 of the Parallel Lives series.*
1. Chapter 1

_**"Stars cannot shine without darkness"**_

* * *

As usual, the TARDIS was being uncooperative. The engines wheezed stubbornly and the ship bucked violently enough to send the Doctor sprawling onto the console room floor.

"Oh, that's very nice. Thanks dear." he grumbled as he climbed to his feet, steadying himself on the console and absently straightening his bow tie.

He tapped a few keys on the spatial location input and stamped his foot when, once more, the coordinates he'd entered immediately zeroed out. His repeated attempts to dematerialize were being thwarted.

"I don't know what is troubling you" the Doctor shouted above the din, "but for the record, you are being unreasonable!"

He adjusted the inertial dampers while simultaneously switching to manual nav. The TARDIS protested with some ugly grinding sounds and spewed a shower of sparks from the rotor. Barely hanging onto the console at this point, he just managed to activate the Gyroscopic Stabilizers. He blew out a sigh of relief. The shuddering ceased and once he had his footing, he tried once more to aim the blue box toward the distress beacon of a stranded spacecraft.

They'd picked up on the beacon's signal while the Doctor was servicing his ship's Hostile Action Displacement System. The HADS was a vital part of a TARDIS defense system and it was crucial that he always keep it in working order. The feature had saved his neck on more than one occasion and he was angry with himself that he'd neglected it this long. Being without a traveling companion, he had plenty of time for such repair work these days. So there were no excuses.

The Doctor had been away from Amy and Rory for nearly fifty years in his time stream. While he missed them greatly, he took comfort in the fact that he could return for a visit, and to them, he'd only have been gone a couple weeks. He was working on laying low. River had said he'd gotten too big, too known to the universe. These days he stuck to space exploration, experiencing beautiful cosmic events, rarely visiting earth, rarely interacting with people. It had been a long time (ten years for him) since he'd even gone to see River. The guilt he felt over the impact he'd had on her life's direction left his feelings for her clouded and complicated. Sensing this, she let him off the hook by having adventures of her own. And plenty of other men. Theirs was certainly not the typical marriage.

He had just finished tinkering in the wiring panel and was having a particularly hard time positioning the doxometer pin when he was interrupted by the distress signal. Welcoming the distraction and hungry for a bit of adventure, he homed in on the beacon and was almost immediately met with resistance by his stubborn ship. The Doctor and the TARDIS had been engaged in a battle of wills ever since. The doxometer pin sat forgotten on his tool case.

"Come on old girl. Someone's in trouble." he encouraged gently now that he'd regained some semblance of control. The engines still whined and sputtered a bit but at least she'd stopped with the pyrotechnics and convulsions. He rotated the steering mechanism and increased the space-time throttle, bringing the TARDIS back on course. "Lovely." he smiled, clearly pleased with himself. "And River says I'm rubbish with the manual controls."

Just as the source of the beacon- a tiny space capsule- came into view on the scanner, the Cloister Bell bonged ominously. The Doctor's conviction waned slightly at the sound and he nervously patted the navigation panel, his eyes darting nervously around the console room.

"There there. What about this has you so skittish?" He gingerly decreased the space-time throttle as the TARDIS spun gracefully through the cosmic dust of the Malum Star System. "We've been here once before, eh?" the Doctor prattled, mostly in an attempt to allay his own doubts, "I believe it was that time I bet Romana..."

A deafening alarm joined the Cloister Bell as a warning light began to blink on the console and the scanner suddenly displayed the detection of a pair of neutron stars. The Doctors eyes widened as he realized the stars were on a collision course. And within range of both the drifting space capsule he was meant to rescue... and his TARDIS.

"Oh no! No no no no..." He knew if he was going to make a rescue, he'd need to act immediately. Under normal circumstances, his go-to method would be to initiate the dematerialization sequence and rematerialize onboard the mystery craft. Muttering some creative Gallifreyan curse words under his breath, he spun the directional unit's mount around within his reach and tried again to enter destination coordinates into the spatial location input. Before the coordinates could zero out, he slammed down the dematerialize lever. Once again, the TARDIS jerked belligerently, spilling him to the floor as the rotor stuttered and released a puff of white smoke and the engines groaned. "SERIOUSLY!"

Not to be deterred, he jumped back to this feet, eyeing the scanner and calculating the logistics of a tow rescue. Scrambling to the other side of the console, he pulled a lever to release his tow line and attempted to make contact with the stranded craft's inhabitants via digital com.

The Doctor failed to keep the panic out his voice as he shouted, "Space capsule, this is the TARDIS calling. I picked up your beacon. Is there anyone still on board? Repeat, is there anyone on board!?"

His transmission was met with low level static and he kept glancing at the scanner's screen, watching as the neutron stars drifted closer and closer toward one another and the warning alarm sounded and the Cloister bell tolled. He bounced around the control room impatiently, checking gauges, adjusting knobs, getting things ready for a fast escape.

Then quickly back to the com panel. "Calling Space Capsule, this is the Doctor in the TARDIS. Can anyone hear me?"

Another glance at the scanner. Collision imminent. The Doctor sighed and swiped his disheveled hair back from his face. He punched a button on the scanner and the spacecraft appeared on the screen. He looked regretfully at the ship, realizing he might never know if someone onboard was hurt and unable to respond to his calls. He switched the scanner off and closed his eyes. He reluctantly flipped the Emergency Dematerialization Switch, knowing this was his last chance, not knowing quite where he'd end up. Nothing happened. His eyes popped open and he flailed around a bit before realizing his mistake. The tow rope. With the tow line panel open, the real-time envelope couldn't be sealed. He rushed around the console and pulled the lever to retract it but he knew he was too late. He, who could practically taste the passage of time knew he had run out of it. He had one last thought before he was engulfed in the silent, blinding explosion of a gamma ray burst: The doxometer pin!

* * *

She awoke to the sound of a rainstorm. Well, that and snoring. Sitting up half naked in a bed that was not her own, Dayle Moss decided she'd rather focus on the delicious melancholy of the rainstorm than the round, hairy man lying beside her. Blocking out her current reality, she closed her eyes as thunder sounded. She always had liked the rain- would choose a gray, cool day to a hot, sunny one any time. It was one of the few things she still had in common with her sister Lynette these days. A long, drawn out fart joined the symphony of downpour and sleep apnea and Dayle quickly found her feet.

"Fucking charming", she whispered to herself with disgust.

Wrapping herself in a sheet that had fallen to the floor, she made her way to the door of the cheap motel room. She opened the door and leaned against the jam, taking in the fresh scent of rain beating down over the parking lot. Despite the clouds, the moon peaked through brightly, shining a bright spotlight on her as she leaned there. Glancing back at the alarm clock on the bedside table, Dayle discovered it was nearly 4:00 am

How many motel rooms just like this had featured in her life? "SUGAR CREEK MOTEL" declared the sign near the road in sickly green lit letters. Of course, over half the bulbs were burned out so to Dayle's eye the establishment was simply "SUCK MOE". Seems more fitting somehow, she decided with a dirty little chuckle.

She closed the door softly so as not to awaken Shawn and flopped into the torn easy chair nearby. Shawn wasn't her boyfriend. Shawn was just a slightly older man (49 to her 33) who admired her looks and provided a place to stay.

It was a place to stay, more specifically, that wasn't filled with junkies constantly chasing their fix. It was a place that wasn't filled with her old brand of companion or temptation. Sure Shawn was a bit of a pig. He said embarrassing things after too much whiskey, he had a mudflap girl on the back of his Nissan, and he was pretty useless in bed. Oh, and there was that whole "being married" thing. Not a winner by any stretch, yet a vast improvement for her.

God, how many motel rooms JUST like this one? She lit up one of Shawn's Mavericks from the end table. How many men had she let use her body to get what she needed? How many bad choices had she made as a mother? How many chances to do the right thing had she squandered?

Too many. Damn near incalculable.

If Dayle had been a stupid woman, one with low expectations of herself or lacking in basic self awareness, being a fuck up wouldn't be nearly as painful. But despite being raised by an indifferent Aunt at the Sugar Creek trailer court, Dayle had always had promise and she was very, very intelligent. She was reading by the time she four and she never seemed to have stopped. She consumed books, everything from Stephen King to Jackie Collins to John Steinbeck. It opened the world for her. There was more to life than this shitty town in Ohio. The jerk rich kids who thought they were better than her. She knew she could be something more. Even after she had Savannah at 15, she held on to her goals of someday going to nursing school. But life had happened.

She dragged deeply on the cheap cigarette and thought of her kids. Automatically, the tears came. The profound shame Dayle felt over messing up as a mom had acted as a paralytic, an obstacle on the path to getting her shit together. One of life's cruel ironies: self hatred only helps to create more things for which to hate one's self. One bitch of a vicious cycle.

But she had been clean now for 141 days. And despite her self loathing and despite all evidence to the contrary she was determined to get it right.

She ground out her cigarette in a chipped ashtray and headed for the shower. She knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep. All night long she had tossed and turned having a bizarre dream. Some weird sci fi shit about a spaceship drifting along and a man on a rescue mission. (Probably the result of having to endure old episodes of Star Trek with Shawn the evening before) There had been an ominous bell tolling and then a blinding explosion. The man was severely injured, perhaps dead? The strange man with the bow tie whom she'd never seen before in her life...

Oh well, it wouldn't hurt to get an early start anyway. Perhaps she could avoid interacting with Shawn before starting her shift at Waffle House.

She paused to study her tired reflection. Dayle had always been a looker with naturally curly blonde hair, grayish blue eyes and a dimpled smile that could persuade just about anyone to do just about anything. Her figure was somewhat softer around the middle these days. She had always been thin and ate whatever she wanted in her younger years. She'd jumped back into a size 5 jeans within weeks of having Savannah. Having Ember at 29 had not been so forgiving. She'd struggled with her much slower metabolism ever since.

At 33, there were lines around the eyes and mouth already. Could certainly be worse. Some of the meth heads she'd seen at her NA meetings looked twenty years older than they actually were. Dayle and her reflection rolled their eyes. Finding comfort in the fact that her drug of choice was a good match for her vanity was depressing as hell.

She turned from the mirror and jumped into a luke-warm shower with pathetic water pressure and questionable motel shower products. The dream had already begun to drift from her mind like vapor.


	2. Chapter 2

_He was dreaming. There was a pretty blonde woman he didn't know. She had woken up to a rainstorm. Standing wrapped in a sheet and lit by the moon, she stared out at a rain soaked parking lot. Then she was smoking and crying in a darkened motel room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked so tired. She felt shame, and she felt weakness. But she was tough, he could see that in her eyes. And she was kind._

Awareness came back to him in snippets. First he became conscious of sound, but everything started out distorted and so far away. From some distance, he heard the engines of a type 40 TARDIS phasing urgently. Though he immediately recognized the source of this particular noise, the Doctor's clouded mind struggled to grasp the significance. For the moment, he had no memory of what had transpired in the Malum Star System. He couldn't recall the distress signal or the subsequent struggle with the dematerialization circuit. He had no recollection of the tiny spacecraft that may or may not have been abandoned. Or of the gamma ray burst from which he had failed to escape.

The sound of damaged electrical circuitry sparking around him joined the menacing toll of a Cloister Bell which started out quietly and grew louder until it reverberated through him. The console sizzled with electrical current and some damaged instrument there clacked uselessly. He could also hear the double beat of his own racing hearts pounding in his ears.

His olfactory system returned next. First, there was the faint smell of blood- his own judging by the proximity. The acrid scent of his smoldering ship began as a stinging tickle in his nose but the dioxins released from the burning polymers quickly began to fill the control room. As he fully regained consciousness, he inhaled deeply, desperate for oxygen. The thick smoke filled his lungs and burned the back of his throat. He coughed hoarsely and groaned from the pain that the spasm caused. Pain.

He tried opening his lids but could see nothing. Still dazed but now alarmed, he touched his fingertips to his eyes and could feel blood seeping down his face from a head wound. The Doctor managed to squirm himself to a sitting position, leaning against the now warped railing at the edge of the flight platform. He tasted blood in his mouth and something in his head seemed to CLANG.

Using his tactile sense alone, he further assessed his condition. He palpated his lower extremities. His legs seemed alright. A ghostly echo from his past declared "Legs! I've still got legs. Good!" He worked his way up the rest of his body, wincing each time he reached a tender spot. He seemed to have a chipped bone in his hip, a couple cracked ribs, a very bruised collar bone, a broken nose and trauma to the front of his head. With shaking hands, the Doctor tore at the sleeve of his already tattered shirt and used the makeshift bandage to apply pressure to his head wound.

Once he'd ascertained that his injuries were not serious enough to trigger a regeneration, he pulled himself shakily to his feet, using the twisted railing as a support. Every bone and muscle in his body howled in disapproval. He limped his way toward where a small sink had been in the corner of the console room. Blindly, he felt his way along the wall with his hands until he reached the porcelain fixture. It was still fully intact and apparently functional. His inability to see had him rattled and he desperately washed blood from his face in the hopes it would clear his vision. It did not. With his eyes open, he saw only blinding white. With them closed, bright colors flashed and danced behind his lids.

A vague comprehension of his circumstances dawned slowly. He now understood there had been some sort of crash involving his TARDIS. The Cloister Bell tolled again, as if in agreement.

"There was an explosion." he stated out loud, startling himself. "A fire in the control room?" he half asked his ship.

Frustrated by his lack of visual cues and still gravely disoriented, he slid down the wall beside the sink to a sitting position. He was hit with a coughing fit and he helplessly hugged his injured right side until the episode passed.

"All this smoke" he croaked wearily. "Could you maybe do something about this smoke? Eh, for me?" He was close to once more losing consciousness when he was suddenly hit with inspiration and sat bolt upright.

Confidently, he commanded "Extractor fans on!" The smoke was evacuated from the room via the TARDIS's exhaust system. Relief was immediate. "Thanks dear."

As breathable air became available, his mental faculties were returning to him. He felt in his pants pocket for the Sonic Screwdriver and flipped through the settings until he was able to activate the fire extinguisher apparatus. The sound of the dry chemical agent spraying throughout the control room was music to his ears. He was out of immediate danger but the TARDIS needed to be landed immediately so she could begin to heal herself. Knowing that his ship needed his help, he sprang- well, limped really- into action.

He half crawled blindly, and quite painfully to the control deck. "What's still working here?" He pulled himself up and leaned heavily against the console to assess the damage. The hand not holding pressure to his scalp laceration felt along the panel and he could tell that most of the levers had been bent and broken. His hand also found that many of the buttons and switches had completely melted into the console.

"Can never make things easy can you?" he addressed the blue box in exasperation.

He hated to admit it, but he truly needed help. And (he hated to admit this part even more) the person who would be most helpful in his current predicament was River... The thought had no sooner crossed his mind when he remembered something. In one last ditch effort, he frantically fumbled under the console and was relieved to find the small metal toggle switch he sought. A switch he had never used until now. A switch that would have certainly come in handy earlier, had he thought of it. He flipped it just as his legs buckled. The rotor miraculously began to ascend up its column and that comforting wheezing, groaning sound filled his ears as he hit the deck and lost consciousness.

* * *

Breakfast rush had been steady. Weekdays weren't usually terribly busy, but there were the regulars and the usual retired crowd. Dayle was working on clearing the tables in her section and ignoring the creepy guy at the counter who had been hitting on her for the past fifteen minutes. She felt sweaty and greasy and her curls were tied back with the required maroon kerchief. She needed a cigarette.

"So when you going out with me?" demanded the long haired cocky guy slumped comfortably at the counter.

Dayle had never seen him in here before, though he looked vaguely familiar. She assumed from his 80 proof breath that he'd yet to make it home from a night of partying. She assumed from his hair that he'd yet to be introduced to shampoo.

She had tried ignoring him but when she failed to respond, he started serenading her in a wobbly, embarassing voice. The two remaining diners in the restaurant- a couple in their seventies- were beginning to stare and mutter grumpily

She remained polite and professional, trying not to let him get to her. If it got much worse she could see if Gene would throw him out, but she didn't want to be at the center of a scene. She needed this job.

"Like I said, I don't date customers from work" she repeated as she dumped plates covered in the remnants of syrup, egg yolk and grits into the dish sink which was just below the counter, facing out into the diner. She pulled the sprayer over and began spraying them off.

Grits stuck to her arm and she wiped them on her apron. This job wasn't big on dignity but she was a good waitress and she was cute which added up to good tips.

"So you're stuck up then?" he prodded, moving down one stool so he was sitting directly across from her. He smiled revealing some seriously fucked up teeth. Meth mouth, she thought.

She bid a cheerful "Have a nice day" to the old couple who were departing. Just the two of them here now.

She struggled to maintain her composure, darting her eyes to the swinging door that led to the back. The other waitress on her shift was back there prepping salads and her manager was counting the cash drawer in his office. She wished one of them would come up front.

She continued washing dishes. "Just trying to make a living here". Her patience was nearing its endpoint. She set a tray of mugs down a bit harder than intended and the ceramic rattled against each other.

"Ok. So you got the needle out your arm and now you think you're out of my league?"

Dayle's heart froze in her chest and she looked around quickly to see if anyone else had heard despite the fact they were alone.

The idiot looked pleased that he'd clearly touched a nerve.

"I guess you don't remember me from Lumen's party last fall. But I definitely remember you." He practically leered.

Though she was fairly certain she'd never done anything sexual with this douchebag, she still blushed furiously and tried to back away from him. That was when he went too far and pinned her arm to the counter.

The moment they touched, Dayle jerked a little. Then a smirk settled on her face.

She leaned in and whispered "You want to know something Gary?"

His expression changed. "I never told you my name..." he began suspiciously.

Her smirk turned to a sweet smile. A smile that lit up the entire diner.

"I know all about you." she continued whispering. "I know about your twin sister Linda. And I know what happened that one night the two of you were drinking Everclear when your dad was out of town. Your other friends had gone home and you were horny and well, I don't have to tell you the rest."

Gary looked like he had seen a ghost. The color left his face, his eyes widened with disbelief.

He snatched his hand away like he'd been burned. "What the f-f-f-fuck. What did that bitch tell you?"

Dayle stood back and went back to her dishes. He sat there for another few seconds, looking stupid then got up and turned to leave, practically in a daze.

"Purple Jesus" she called after him.

He turned back.

"The name of the drink you had that night. It's called Purple Jesus. I'd say you need Jesus in your life. You sick fucker."

Gary left.

All of Dayle's bravado disappeared the second the door closed behind him. She steadied herself on the sink's edge while her heart pounded in her chest. That wasn't cool what she'd just done.

She was shaken from the encounter, but it wasn't because she was surprised by the revelations that came to her the second he'd pinned her arm. Sometimes, she just kinda knew things.


	3. Chapter 3

_This time the blonde woman was working as a waitress at a diner. A customer at the counter seemed to be harassing her as she went about her job. She was irritated, then scared, then downright angry. He pinned her arm to the counter and-_

He awoke with a start. He still couldn't see anything, but he could tell that they'd landed. More specifically, if his now restored space-time senses weren't very much mistaken, they had landed on earth in the 21st century. The Doctor lifted his throbbing head.

"River." he whispered. The switch he had thrown had been specifically designed to bring him directly to his wife's side. A long, long time ago the TARDIS had created the combination fast return/homing device switch as something of a wedding present for River and himself. The Doctor had yet to test it out. He'd never found a practical purpose.

He suddenly remembered everything that had led up to this moment. Repairing the HADS. The distress beacon. His failed rescue attempt. The neutron star collision.

"A gamma ray burst. Of course. The flash must have blinded me." he murmured as he sat up. The explanation provided some comfort. There was a good chance his condition was only temporary.

He imagined what must have happened once the explosion occurred. If the HADS was functioning, the TARDIS would have been displaced from danger before impact. But the TARDIS still had the force field generator working properly. His ship may have been hit hard by the blast but much of the force had been deflected by the force field prisms. Microseconds after impact the catrastrophic failsafe would have taken over and returned him safely to the time vortex.

He wondered where exactly the TARDIS had brought him now as he once more climbed to his feet. The Stormcage Containment Facility was certainly not around in the 21st century. Maybe Professor Song was here on an archaeological dig? Perhaps teaching at University again? Walking was getting to be nearly impossible. Even with a Time Lord's advanced physiology and accelerated healing abilities he was going to need medical attention and soon. The Doctor's inability to see was definitely going to make finding River a challenge. But, with the help of his Sonic, it should certainly be doable. Before he could reach the door, he heard it rattle as if someone were trying to gain entry. He froze.

A familiar voice with an even more familiar tone of annoyance asked disbelievingly "What is this then!?"

He smiled in recognition and reached out to the manual door release. Not such a challenge then after all.

He stepped out onto what felt like carpeting. He heard a gasp and he could only imagine how alarming his appearance must be. Just as he was about to offer up words of reassurance, the TARDIS door slammed shut behind him and the woman in front of him began shouting hysterically.

"Who exactly are you? What on earth are you doing in my hallway? What the HELL has happened to you? And more importantly, how did you get that Police Telephone Box up all those stairs!?" He had not seen that coming.

Flustered, the Doctor turned tail and attempted to reenter the TARDIS and instead bumped clumsily into the closed door with a THUD. And locked. The TARDIS has apparently started the healing process and wanted a little privacy.

Clearly he was mistaken about the invisible woman's identity? After all, she sounded almost frightened of him. Not the brave River he knew.

"I-I-I'm sorry Miss." he stammered with his hands held where she could see them. "I'm just trying to find a friend. Maybe you know her? River. Her name is Professor River Song."

The woman seemed to calm down a bit but she obviously still regarded him with distrust. "I don't know any professors. Is she supposed to live in this apartment building?"

Her voice though... It sounded SO much like River. Of course, he wasn't exactly at his most coherent at the moment. "Uhh, I believe so, Miss...?"

"Pond" the woman responded imperiously. "I'm Melody Pond, and you are in need of a doctor. You are bleeding all over the place."

Before the Doctor could fully take in what she said, Melody sighed and reluctantly offered her shoulders for support. "My neighbor is a nurse. Let's just pop over and see if she might be of any help so I can be on my way. And perhaps she knows this River person".

The Doctor didn't speak. He had the most dreadful feeling that something strange and terrible had occurred in the wake of the neutron star collision. Because this woman helping him limp down the hallway was most definitely River Song. Even if she hadn't just introduced herself to him as Melody Pond, all doubt would have left him the moment he heard her say "doctor". This was the woman who'd killed the Doctor. Then married him. Then kinda killed him again. The child of the TARDIS. The daughter of his best mates Amy and Rory. And she had no idea who he was.

* * *

 _Dayle dreamt that a beautiful brunette with curls even wilder than her own was shouting at her, except it was like she was underwater. The sound reached her muffled and distorted. The woman, who was dressed in an exercise outfit, then helped Dayle limp down the hall of an apartment building. They came to a door..._

"Wake up!" A child shouted in her ear. Disoriented, Dayle sat up abruptly and looked around. Then she remembered. She had crashed on her best friend Clari's sofa the night before and this was Clari's son Alex providing a wake up call in the charming way only three-year-olds can. She rubbed her eyes feigning sleepiness, then shot her hand out and grabbed Alex into an embrace where she tickled the life out of him. His giggles were music to her ears, but they also did something painful to her heart. Had she kept herself together, Alex and her daughter Ember could be playmates. She ended the tickle sneak attack and gave him one last squeeze.

She ended up at Clari's because when she'd taken the bus back to the motel after her shift, she discovered that Shawn had moved out of the motel, leaving all her shit behind in the room. Thankfully, Dayle had been kind to the Mexican housekeeper for the two weeks she'd lived there. The woman, Yolanda, produced the bag of Dayle's things from her cart along with a warm smile.

Now homeless, she swallowed her fragile pride and used her prepaid cell phone to beg Clari for her sofa for the night. The two had grown up together and were once inseparable as adults. Savannah called Clari her aunt. The three of them had a lot of great memories. Things were different these days.

Clari couldn't bear to watch Dayle ruin her life with drugs so she'd stayed away mostly. Their lives just went in different directions. Clari had taken classes at the Junior College and started working as a bookkeeper. She ended up marrying her boss and lived in one of Sugar Creek's nicest subdivisions. Occasionally they would IM each other and have long conversations like when they were kids. But Clari kept her distance.

Two years ago, Clari had given in and agreed to let Dayle and her boyfriend at the time stay in her spare bedroom. Dayle's boyfriend Dave had swiped everything that he could sell for dope. Dayle barely even knew whose house they were staying at. She was hurting bad for a fix and was grateful when Dave delivered.

When Dayle got out of rehab three months ago, Clari was the first person she wanted to make amends with. It took a lot of doing but they were once again on speaking terms. Clari's husband Stephen did not feel as charitable. In fact, the only reason she had been allowed to stay last night was because Stephen was out of town.

Dayle was starting to get used to being the undesirable in everyone's lives. It hurt her but it also made her that much more determined to prove that she could get right. She noted the time was a little after 5:30 am. If she hurried she might be able to hit the early NA meeting at Grace Baptist Church before heading to the library to spend some time with her daughter Savannah.

Not relishing the role of unwelcome house guest, Dayle avoided Clari and slipped into the restroom to get cleaned up. She was excited to get to see her oldest daughter today. Despite everything, the two shared a bond that was unbreakable. Savannah was eighteen and Dayle need only look into the pretty brunette's world weary eyes to calculate the cost of her mistakes.

Dayle was a teen mother so Savannah and Dayle had grown up together. They shared their secrets and their dreams and a tiny bed in a tiny trailer. Years later they would talk lovingly about the little tin can where their family began. The water heater that couldn't warm enough water for a bath or shower. The furnace pilot light that would get blown out when icy winds gusted through the trailer's skirt. And they remembered the small pink Christmas tree they put up each December. Such a pitiful little thing, but it was theirs.

Dayle had never been perfect. She had always been bad with money (what little she had) and bad at picking boyfriends. But Savannah had at least known her as a loving, attentive mom and a best friend. Which probably made it even more of a disappointment when her mom fucked up. And she had fucked up a lot. But Dayle was working on that.

Her baby, Ember lived with Dayle's sister Lynette and Lynette's family which consisted of a husband, two young sons and a freakin Pomeranian named Ashley. Ember had turned four two months ago on January 24th. Dayle had not been allowed to attend the birthday party at the Neals' lovely home in the better part of town because Lynette's prick husband Ben refused to let her around his children. (Or in his lovely home at all for that matter)

Now, one of the key parts of recovery is taking responsibility for past actions. Dayle knew she had earned the level of distrust with which she was regarded. Truth be told, she didn't deserve another chance. It broke her heart the way her sister looked at her now but Dayle understood why and didn't blame Netty or even Ben for sticking to their boundaries. She had to prove herself with actions, not just words. But Ben was always a prick, even before the drugs took over her life. He couldn't be right without being self righteous. His moral superiority extended to pretty much everyone he encountered but he seemed to derive a special kind of pleasure from belittling his sister in law. It made the situation with Ember that much more painful.

Ember. The gentle little girl with her mother's infectious smile had lived a tumultuous life full of frequent moving, going hungry on occasion and being left with questionable adults. Dayle started using when Ember was five months old. The child had never known a clean mother. She had never known an attentive mother. Thankfully Lynette had always been there to pull Dayle out of her latest clusterfuck. Lynette, who was more a mom to Ember than an Aunt. That thought had seared her mind, plagued her heart over the past year. It made her want to use because it was so damn painful. It made her want to give up. It made her hate herself with the fires of a thousand suns. But Dayle was working on that.

The weekly ritual of meeting her oldest child at the public library was a recent development. They met Tuesdays at 9:00 am. Tuesdays were Dayle's day off from her job at Waffle House. She had been working there for less than three weeks. It was alright. Gary certainly hadn't been the first asshole to upset her there. Sometimes she found her feelings were hurt easily by rude customers and she had to escape to the back to avoid the embarrassment of crying like a hormonal teenager in front of everyone. "It just takes time to find your new normal" her sad eyed sponsor Vicki had once told her when Dayle lamented the mood swings she was experiencing with recovery. Yep. Dayle was working on that.


	4. Chapter 4

The apartment door was answered by an American woman who reacted in much the same way Melody had. Albeit, a bit more sweary.

"Who the fuck is this dude Melody? And what's happened to him?" They helped him to what felt like a couch. He leaned back gratefully.

"We hadn't exactly gotten that deep into our relationship yet" Melody said dryly. "I was just headed out for my Tuesday yoga class and found him out in the hall like this."

The women stepped away to discuss the situation and the Doctor could hear water running as they decided what to do with him.

"So who does he belong to?" the American lady (presumably the nurse) asked. "Is there anyone we can call?". He tried to speak and was interrupted by Melody who sounded eager to gossip.

"He mentioned a professor...Song, I believe he said. She's supposed to live in the building. Does that name ring any bells?"

The nurse lady returned and began to clean his head wound. "Not at all. Shit Melody. I've lived here 8 years and I know everyone in this building." She expertly applied a bandage to the laceration, taping it to his forehead and wound gauze around his head to keep it in place. "No professors. No Songs." A warm wet cloth was used to clean his face. It felt rather nice.

"Hey Mister. Are you awake? Open your eyes." That was the nurse again.

Before he could respond, Melody supplied "I don't think he can see. His eyes have been shut the entire time."

"It's only temporary" he insisted weakly. "Temporary blindness caused by a gamma ray flash."

"A gamma ray flash? Are you fuckin with me?" The nurse seemed to be examining his face closely. "There does seem to be some burns around his eyes." she admitted. "Melody, I think we need to call 911. This guy has been hurt badly. We might need to involve the police."

"No!" The Doctor interjected quickly. "That won't be necessary. All fixed up now." He attempted to get up from the couch and a pair of surprisingly strong hands restrained him.

"Hey hey. Calm down!" American lady said firmly. "I think you have some broken ribs here. You aren't fit to be walking around." She sat down beside him and placed a calming hand on his. "Just relax. We don't have to involve the police. I don't know what kind of trouble you're in but you are definitely injured. Let's just keep still until we can find this professor friend of yours."

"Really?" Melody asked disapprovingly. "We don't know a thing about this man. Just call him an ambulance and be done with it. Not to be rude, but I'm really not interested in becoming any more involved in this mess. Plus I really need to get to yoga."

The nurse sighed. "Then go already. This guy is in no shape to do anybody any harm. And look at him. A bow tie? I'm in imminent fucking danger from an English man in a bow tie? I've got this. Really. Just go."

"Bowties are cool." he muttered to himself, pouting.

To Melody's credit, she did seem to hesitate, worried for her neighbor. "Well, if you're sure".

"GO." the nurse commanded, a bit more rudely this time.

Melody departed leaving the Doctor feeling abandoned. Melody might really be River Song. But she certainly wasn't the River he knew. This River seemed rather self-involved and pretentious. Certainly not up for any adventure. And yoga? Really?

The Doctor was becoming more and more convinced that he had found himself in a parallel universe. A parallel universe containing all the same places and people, but with different outcomes. And here he was, hurt, blind and left with a complete stranger. Said stranger was still sitting beside him, likely peering at him curiously.

She cleared her throat and asked almost shyly "So, what's your name hon?"

He replied, "I'm the D- Dr. Smith. The name's Dr. John Smith".

"Pleased to meet you John. I'm Dayle. Dayle Moss. I think I have some aloe for those burns around your eyes...and maybe I can track down an ice pack."

* * *

Dayle hopped off the bus at the stop right near Grace Baptist Church. She took another gulp of coffee from her travel mug and headed in for her meeting, her mind already on her trip to the library in a few hours. She walked in and grabbed a chair, barely paying any mind to the sparse few who showed up at his early hour.

"Anyone sitting here?" A woman with a British accent asked as she took the chair right next to her. At first Dayle was merely annoyed that of all the chairs in that row, this woman had chosen to invade her personal space. Then she stared into the woman's face, and immediately recognized her as the woman from her dream last night. Now she had her attention.

Dayle was intrigued. Never before had she dreamed of someone before meeting them. God knows strange things happened to her all the time. Claircognizance, it was called. She had read many books and online articles about it. From the time she was a kid, she just sort of knew things. If her Aunt misplaced her glasses or bus pass, Dayle always knew where to look. Sometimes she would brush up against a person in a public place and she would just know their name and other tidbits about their life. It didn't happen all the time. And she couldn't just see into the future, like foresee winning lotto numbers or anything useful like that. But she would sometimes know the ending to a book just from touching it. Talk about spoilers.

"I'm River." the confident British woman introduced herself. Dayle shook the offered hand.

"Hi there River. I'm Dayle. Do you always come to these early meetings?"

"Oh no" River laughed. "This is actually my first time to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. Not exactly sure what is expected of me."

"You'll be fine" Dayle assured the newbie straight faced. "We don't get to the blood sacrifices until your third meeting".

River cracked up at that just as things got underway. Dayle continued to glance at the woman throughout the meeting. Why had she dreamed about her? Was there some significance to meeting her or was the premonition just some new variant on Dayle's usual oddness? Something told her she should find out more.

Afterwards, at the coffee table, Dayle couldn't help but pry. "So what's your story? You passed when it came time to share." (As Savannah would say, 'Zero chill mom.') If River was surprised at Dayle's nosiness, she did a good job of hiding it.

She merely sipped her coffee and replied "What exactly would you like to know?"

Dayle asked,"Are you newly here from England? What brings you to Ohio?"

River laughed and took another sip. "Oh my story is all too typical I'm afraid. Followed a man here and ended up alone."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Dayle said sincerely. "Sometimes I think we'd all be better off without them."

River tossed her empty cup into the wastebasket and changed the subject. "So what do you do for a living Dayle? Did you say you were a nurse?"

Dayle felt something flutter in her belly, goosebumps broke out along her arms. And she wasn't exactly sure why. It was probably just a misunderstanding. A total coincidence that River had mentioned the one career path Dayle had once dreamed of following.

"Uhm", she stammered, "N-no. I didn't say that. I'm actually a waitress".

River's expression became confused for a split second before she regained her composure and told Dayle "That can be hard work. On your feet a lot. Dealing with arseholes."

"Yes" Dayle replied, awkwardly shifting her weight. She suddenly had a very strong feeling she needed to get away from this strange woman. "Well, I better catch my bus so I can get to the library to meet my daughter on time".

River didn't take the hint or pretended not to. "A daughter? Oh that's lovely. What will you do there?"

Dayle kept it vague. "We catch up and find books together. A weekly ritual."

"You seem like a wonderful mum" River said, looking into Dayle's eyes. Unsettled, Dayle smiled, and made a hasty exit.


	5. Chapter 5

"Do they hurt at all?" Dayle was asking him as she applied aloe to the burned skin around his eyes.

"Not really. But they aren't doing me much good either."

She chuckled at that and handed him the ice pack anyway."Stop opening them. The best thing you can do is just keep them closed for now. Rest."

The Doctor would have loved nothing more than to do just that. But the inner turmoil he was experiencing made that a bit difficult.

After a pause, she asked, "Are you sure your eyes weren't burned by some type of chemical...?"

He interrupted indignantly, "I told you, I was caught in a-"

"Gamma ray flash." She finished for him. "Yes, yes, I heard."

Dayle once again sat next to him, slightly derisive. "So you want to provide more details on what happened to you? Where on earth were you exposed to gamma rays?"

The Doctor laughed at her choice of words. "Well, to start with, it didn't happen on earth."

Dayle sighed and headed to the kitchen. "You are one strange man John." She sounded annoyed. He heard plates and cups clink as she reached into her cupboard. "Would you like some chamomile tea to help calm your nerves? I'm having some."

"Tea would be just lovely Dayle." He paused, remembering himself. "Thank you, by the way. For taking such good care of me. You seem like a wonderful mum."

She had just brought the tea in and set it on the small side table. She stood frozen to the spot. "What did you say?" she asked uncertainly.

"You seem like you would be a wonderful... uhm I mean." He fidgeted and grimaced. "Should you ever decide to ah... You seem like a wonderful nurse, I meant. I bet all your patients are glad to get you." The Doctor didn't need eyes to see he'd unsettled her by calling her a mum. He wasn't sure why he'd made the assumption. Something in her manner was very maternal though. Must be a delicate subject for her. He would steer clear of it from now on.

"So, tell me. How long have you known Melody?" He wondered.

Dayle prepared both their cups of tea. She had thoughtfully put his in a travel cup with a lid that he could sip from. She carefully placed the cup in his hands and joined him on the couch. She checked his bandage before answering.

"Melody just moved into the building this past year. A bit too basic for me actually. Today is Yoga Tuesday and yesterday would have been Manicure Monday." Dayle giggled. "She's real heavy into astrology and all that woowoo shit. Just got her real estate license of all things. She's always asking me to join her for a girl's night out. I guess she thinks since we're the only single women here we have to automatically be friends... is your tea bitter?"

The Doctor had been making a disgusted face listening to this information. Manicure Monday? Astrology? Real estate license? River, no.

"No. The tea is lovely." He tried standing up. "Wonder if you could point me in the direction of the loo though?"

Dayle rushed to help him up and guided him to the door of her restroom. He had to lean on her heavily. "Have you got, uh, control of everything there... won't be needing any assistance?" Dayle stammered awkwardly.

The Doctor realized what she was getting at and was appalled. "I should think I can handle things myself!"

She continued, amused "But, like, you can't see, so..."

Oh. He hadn't thought of that. Of course, he was really just escaping to the lav so he could fiddle with his sonic screwdriver. He wanted to get some readings to learn about the universe he'd ended up in. But he couldn't very well tell her that. She probably already thought him a headcase.

"I guess... I could sit down?" the Doctor offered, blushing furiously.

Dayle seemed satisfied with that solution. "Ok, well go to it then."

When he started to go in, she asked "Sure you don't need me to...?"

"NO!" the Doctor shouted before closing the door in her face. He heard her giggle and realized she was just having a bit of fun with him.

When he emerged, Dayle helped him back to the couch and insisted he lay down for a nap.

"Why don't you rest up and when you're a bit more coherent we can talk more about your situation and how I might be able to help you find your friend.

* * *

"I'm telling you Vannah. The woman was creepy." The two were sitting together at an antique oak table in the Popular Fiction section of Sugar Creek Public Library.

Savannah knew about Dayle's claircognizance and often teased her about it. Dayle wasn't even entirely sure Vannah believed in her quirky gift. But her daughter seemed interested in the story of the odd British woman she'd encountered at her NA meeting.

"Yeah, she for sure sounds like a whackadoo. But are you sure it was the same woman from your dream."

"Absolutely!" Dayle insisted.

"Well maybe you'd seen her at a meeting before and just don't consciously remember her."

"No way. She specifically said this was her very first meeting. And I know it sounds batshit crazy but I swear it seems like she was there looking for me. She sought me out. Like she was trying to get answers from me or something."

Now Savannah grew concerned. "Like a debt collector? Or private investigator?"

Dayle threw her hands in the air. "No clue."

"Well I suppose you'll know for sure something's up if she crops up somewhere else."

Savannah had no sooner spoken the words when Dayle spotted River over in the corner, watching her over a large book she was holding. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Dayle whispered. "That's her!"

Savannah frowned and looked to where she gestured. "Seriously?" Her daughter got to her feet protectively, ready to go ballistic on the weirdo who was terrorizing her mother. Dayle yanked her back down to the table.

"Just stay away from her." Dayle hissed. Savannah looked at her in alarm. Dayle relaxed her grip on her daughter's arm and said in a much calmer tone. "Something's wrong here. I feel like something bad is going to happen."

Savannah could see real fear in her mother's eyes and relented. "Well alright. Do we leave then?"

They both glanced back to the corner and found that River was gone. They looked around and she was nowhere to be seen.

"Look, she's left something in that chair." Savannah crossed the room quickly and picked up the scrap of paper. She frowned at it and handed it to Dayle once she'd joined her.

Dayle read what she recognized as a library's nonfiction call number. **_539.7 GRE_ ** Inexplicably, Dayle felt that River had left the scrap for her to find. She certainly hadn't been stalking her in a stealthy manner. She'd wanted to be seen.

Dayle and her daughter looked at each other and without a word headed upstairs to the nonfiction section.

"I swear to god mom. If this ends up being a copy of Helter Skelter or something..." Dayle enjoyed Savannah's dark sense of humor. They perused the shelves together until they found themselves in the science and technology section.

"A real pageturner I'm sure." Dayle murmured.

Savannah spotted it first. She pulled it off a shelf that contained books about quantum physics.

"The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene." Savannah read from the cover.

Dayle felt as if someone had just walked over her grave. She got a bit dizzy and sat down hard in one of the reading chairs.

"Mom are you okay? Does this book mean anything to you?"

Dayle shook her head. "Not yet."

The two had checked out their books and were preparing to part ways at the bus stop. Savannah would catch the 16 headed toward her boyfriend's house. Dayle would take bus 4 to the Waffle House where she worked. They would let her take up residence in a booth as long as she was drinking coffee. She hadn't told her daughter that she didn't have a place to go for the night.

"Be careful mom." Savannah implored. "Maybe you should go to the police about that lady."

Dayle shook her head and tried to hide a look of shame before pressing a kiss to Savannah's forehead. "Me and the local cops don't exactly have a great history Boo."

Savannah looked at her mother with big brown eyes full of acceptance and understanding and hugged her tightly before stepping onto her bus.

"I love you" she whispered.

The words warmed Dayle to the core and she watched the bus drive away through tears. It was moments just like these, Dayle felt no self doubt, shame or fear. Because there was simply nothing better in the world, than the love of a daughter.


	6. Chapter 6

_The blonde woman was riding a bus, sipping her coffee. She was spooked by the weird lady she'd just met. Then she was looking for a book on the shelf in a library. She seemed afraid of what she might find. She hugged a brunette girl with loving brown eyes._

He awoke just as it was growing dark outside, a thought still lingering in his head. "There's nothing better in the world than the love of a daughter", he murmured out loud.

Wait, dark? The Doctor sat all the way up. He could see once again! He held his hand in front of his face, fluttering his fingers eagerly. Things were admittedly a bit blurry but, he could see just the same.

Dayle entered the room just then from her bedroom, clicked on a lamp. "How we feeling? Sorry, I worked a 12 hour shift last night. Must've conked out myself." She yawned and stretched.

He looked up ready to tell her the good news and very nearly fell off the couch. Her curly blonde hair was mussed and there were pillow marks on her face. Her lovely blue-gray eyes looked sleepy but she smiled brightly at him, dimples showing. A bit healthier looking than in the dream. The hair looked like she had it done at a salon, her clothing looked like it came from a nice shop and her nails were long and polished. He glanced around at her flat. Certainly no cheap motel. Her home was quite posh and nicely decorated.

She had walked over to check the bandage on his head. "Hmm. It's actually looking much better." She sounded surprised, maybe even a little confused.

She looked up and saw he was staring at her. "John, are you ok? Wait, can you see me?"

"It was you. In the dreams." The Doctor squinted at her in disbelief. "In the motel room a-a-and working at the diner..."

Her expression changed slightly. "Excuse me? Motel room? What dreams?"

"I'm saying, it was you in my dream. I saw you smoking a cigarette and crying. I saw you checking your reflection. Working as a waitress. Then just now at a library. Hugging a young lady..." He gestured in open mouthed amazement. "And I've never even layed eyes on you until now. Oh. What could this mean?"

He barely registered that Dayle was now staring at him in alarm. And backing away from him.

"Hey, man. What the hell?"

The Doctor hopped up and begin pacing the room wringing his hands and gesticulating wildly while he thought out loud. "It was you, but it wasn't you. The same way Melody is River, but not really. It's got to have something to do with one reality bleeding through to another. Like, somehow, messages are coming through from the other universe."

He finally stopped when he saw the way she was watching him, 'fight or flight?' written all over her lovely face.

"What the hell is going on here John? Five hours ago, you could barely move, let alone walk unassisted. You sure as shit couldn't see. You had cracked ribs and an injury to your hip. Now you're jumping up and walking just fine. And you're seeing me in your goddamn dreams and talking about parallel universes. And your head! How the hell could your head have healed so fast? It's just not fucking possible..."

The Doctor interrupted her rant with a sharp whistle. "HEY. Has anyone mentioned that you swear far too much? Blimey. It's like talking to a squaddie. Listen, I'm going to make this very simple. I'm an alien. I'm a Time Lord from a planet called Gallifrey. I travel in time and space. My ship got caught in a neutron star collision and it was damaged and I was temporarily blinded by the resulting gamma ray burst. And somehow, I ended up in a totally different universe."

He finally took a breath and assessed Dayle's reaction.

She had been staring at him with her mouth open in surprise and her eyes indignant.

"Are you quite finished?" She asked.

He nodded.

"I can swear as much as I goddamn well please, thank you Mr. Lord of Fucking Time." With that, she opened the front door of her apartment and shoved him out into the hallway.

The Doctor stumbled into the opposite wall of the corridor as she slammed the door behind him and threw the lock. He looked around to see if anyone had seen his unceremonious ejection. Cleared his throat. Straightened his bow tie. "I think that went quite well."

* * *

Dayle sat in a corner booth poring over the book about parallel universes. She wasn't sure what exactly-if anything- it meant to her life but she was positively fascinated by what she was learning. She'd never taken much interest in space or physics, had never even really been one to read or watch science fiction. But the author of this book managed to explain the concepts in ways she could understand them.

He talked about the infinite universe, inflationary theory, string theory and the Many Worlds Interpretation. About Albert Einstein and Georges Lemaitre and Alexander Friedman.

The book explained that: "The mathematics underlying quantum mechanics suggest that all possible outcomes happen, each inhabiting its own separate universe."

Dayle paused to sip from her coffee mug and wrap her mind around what all this meant. The book was pointing to theory after theory that concluded that parallel worlds are real and that every possible outcome of a person's life are split up and lived out on these different branches of reality. It was a mind blowing and exciting thought.

Had River really meant for Dayle to find this book? Was it some kind of message? Even a metaphor perhaps?

One of her coworkers, an older waitress named Carol appeared at her elbow walking the coffee pot.

"Are you going to get anything to eat sweetie?" Carol asked kindly, refilling the mug.

Dayle thought about the cash she was saving stashed in the bottom of her backpack. It seemed like she might well have to spring for a motel room somewhere tonight. But her stomach was definitely growling.

"Well, maybe I could go for a grilled cheese." Carol nodded and went behind the counter to call her order.

Dayle returned her attention to the book. She flipped back to one particular part that kept eating at her.

"It says that there's no such thing as a road untraveled. Yet each such road- each reality- is hidden from all others."

And what if somehow, there was a way to peek into another reality? She wondered. What if one of those alternate roads somehow became UNhidden.

She felt that funny flutter in her stomach again and she was overtaken by chills. A feeling akin to dejavu came over her.

For some reason, she flashed back to that strange dream she'd had a couple nights ago. The injured man with the bowtie. The space ship and the explosion.

She felt lightheaded and heard white noise and a ghostly British voice whispered through the static _"one reality bleeding through to another..."_

She leapt up, startled, nearly overturning her coffee. Just what the hell was THAT?

"Are you ok Dayle?" A concerned Carol was standing nearby looking at her curiously.

Dayle attempted to regain her composure. "Yes". She cleared her throat. "Just need to use the lady's room".

Carol looked after her strangely as she made her way to the restroom.

She hung her backpack on the hook on the door and splashed cold water on her face with shaking hands. Her reflection in the mirror looked peculiar to her. It was like someone she'd never seen.

The static had returned. "... _messages are coming through from the other universe"_ the chilling voice whispered from some other plane.

Dayle placed her hands over her ears and backed into the wall. What the hell was happening to her?

One thing she knew for certain. She needed to find River and she hadn't the first clue how to do so. She had a strong suspicion though, that River would find her.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor stared at the closed apartment door for a moment. He knew he was going to have to find some way to get through to her. The psychic connection he'd been experiencing was tied to her somehow and he had high hopes that it was a "her" inhabiting his universe. He sighed and decided to check in with the TARDIS. Maybe if he gave Dayle a chance to calm down she'd more easily take in what he'd told her as well as what she'd witnessed with her own eyes.

The TARDIS sat undisturbed at the end of the hall. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be blocking any exits or walkways but her presence there was a mystery and a novelty to the residents of this floor. He spotted an elderly woman poking the blue box with her cane. When he approached, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Do you have something to do with this strange cabinet?" she demanded. "It wasn't here when I checked my mail earlier." She leaned in conspiratorially, "I swear, it's like it's alive. You can feel a humming when you lay your hands on it."

He cleared his throat, smiled brightly, and the Doctor did what the Doctor does best- he improvised.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the box. It is VERY very dangerous."

The woman gasped and ambled some distance away- quite fast for someone of her age. The Doctor was impressed.

"Is it a bomb!?" she squeaked, eyes wide.

Oops. He didn't want to start a panic in the building.

"Oh no no no" he assured her, flailing his arms a bit. "Nothing like that. It's just an... electrical box. Somewhat like a generator but it's been installed to... help make the building more energy efficient."

She stepped a bit closer again. "Are you with the electric company then?" She looked him up and down, taking in his torn sleeve and blackened clothing. "You boys used to at least wear a uniform shirt. And generally it had _two_ sleeves."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes, well, I'm more of an underground repair man, you see. Been working away in those tunnels. Getting all the wiring hooked up for the new electrical box. Very dirty. And electrical." He silently berated himself. Not his finest bit of improv.

The lady seemed to be buying it though. "Is that the way that works? Huh. Well, I hope you have good benefits. Looks like a dangerous job." She finally headed down the hall to the elevator.

The Doctor slammed his face into his palm. Ridiculous.

Once he ascertained there was nobody else around, he dug in his shoe for a spare key.

He took a deep breath. Come on Old Girl. Let me in.

He jammed the key into the lock and it turned easily. The door swung open and he was thrilled to see that the TARDIS had completed the healing process.

Closing the door behind him, he rushed to the scanner. He knew the TARDIS would have stored any data from the time of the collision in the data core. Something like a black box on an airplane.

He pressed a few buttons and a readout appeared on the screen. He squinted at the figures, calculating space time coordinates in his head. Well they were certainly all over the place. Beneath all that were the results of a scan the TARDIS had automatically performed on the stranded ship he'd been trying to save. A single word caught his eye: Hologram.

"What the..." he whispered. He tapped a few keys on the console and the scanner answered his next question.

Origin of technology: Tregannon

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the screen. So, the technology used to project the hologram of a stranded ship had belonged to a species called the Tregannon. The Doctor frowned, remembering that he'd encountered them once before, back in another lifetime. Back when he had curly blonde hair and an atrocious multi colored coat. He and his companion at the time, along with the Brigadier had found a Tregannon named Sancreda who had been abandoned on earth centuries before. The creature had wreaked all sorts of havoc on Lanyon Moor before he had been destroyed by the Brig.

"But they are nowhere _near_ the Malum System." He scratched his head, puzzled. Their planet was in the Spulion System, an area the Doctor stayed far away from and with good reason. The Tregannon were a psychic species and the whole of the Spulion system was made up of psychoactive minerals which fueled their technology. The Tregannon were able to project images of themselves in addition to being telepathic and telekinetic.

So it would seem he had purposefully been lured to the Malum system at the exact moment of the stellar collision. Had he been specifically targeted or had he just been the unlucky one to have answered the distress signal?

He patted his pants pockets. He needed to see if his Sonic had finished its assessment of this alternate world. Strange. It wasn't there.

Perhaps it had fallen out of his pocket while he slept?

About then, the Doctor heard the sound of muffled shouting coming from the hall. He changed the scanner to camera mode once more and gasped when he saw Dayle running at full speed away from her apartment, holding the Sonic Screwdriver aloft. There appeared to be _soap suds_ pouring into the hallway.

Uh oh.

* * *

Dayle sat on the edge of the bed drying her hair with a motel towel that had seen better days. After the incident at Waffle House, she had grabbed her grilled cheese to go and hopped on a bus to an affordable motel just outside of town in Kirkmore. She had chosen it because she didn't want to chance running into any people from her old life. Cheap motels and druggies are often synonymous unfortunately.

She felt more herself after a shower and a phone call with her baby girl Ember. Lynette had sounded cautiously optimistic to hear that Dayle was holding down a job, going to regular meetings and had already saved up a small stash of money. Naturally she nagged her to get it into a savings account as quickly as possible.

Ember loved spending time with Dayle, though perhaps she didn't understand that they should be spending much more time together than they did. After some typical four year old goofiness, Ember had asked when she'd get to see Dayle again. Netty had taken the phone then and promised that this weekend, they could all take a trip to the park together.

Dayle was heartened by her sister's final words before the phone call ended. "Keep it up Dayle. I am rooting for you".

Dayle pulled one of the mystery books she'd checked out today from her bag and leaned back against the stiff pillow to take advantage of the bedside lamp's light. She'd had enough of quantum theory for one evening. She was ready to lose herself in some Martha Grimes and was grateful she had the room all to herself. She'd had enough of men to last a lifetime.

Barely into the second chapter, she heard a strange sound, like electricity being discharged just outside and she looked up curiously. There was a tap at the door. Dayle didn't need to use her gift of intuition to know who it would be.

She opened the door to River and glared at the strange woman. "Are we quite done with the fucking scavenger hunts now?" Dayle scoffed. She stood back and allowed the visitor to enter.

"You know, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be troubling you if it wasn't very important." River sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I need your help."

"So who is he?" Dayle blurted. "This is about the guy right? The one with the bowtie."

River looked somewhat astonished that Dayle knew so much. "Uh, right. Well. Let's keep it simple for now. His name is The Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Dayle looked at her incredulously. "The _Doctor._ That's his actual, literal _name_? What is he, a member of the fuckin ratpack? Does he spend time with The Chairman of the Board and Mister Show Business?" She crossed her arms and looked ceilingward. "Why can't I just make normal friends!?"

River looked as if she was fighting laughter. She cleared her throat. "Dayle sweetie. You are more important than you can possibly know. The Doctor is trapped in a parallel world and you are the only link from our world to him." River looked at her expectantly.

Dayle stared right back, waiting for the punchline. "Aaaand...?"

"What do you mean 'and'? You are literally a quantum anomaly. You have made a connection with a parallel universe, from _this_ universe! That doesn't just happen." River looked positively exasperated that Dayle couldn't appreciate her role in all this.

"'And', who is he? What does he got to do with me?"

River seemed to consider that. "He looks out for this whole planet. For hundreds of planets. He has saved you all so many times, I can't even explain. He is a hero and he is brilliant. I'm not sure what our universe would do without him."

Dayle had grown thoughtful. She sat heavily on the arm of a peach upholstered chair.

"Then what on earth could I possibly do for him?" Her voice broke. "I can't even help myself for chrissakes. I'm a junkie. I'm homeless. I couldn't even take care of my own kids..." With that, Dayle lost it. She sobbed heavily into her hands.

River watched her quietly. She didn't try to comfort her. She didn't offer words of understanding. She didn't pat her or hug her. She gave her instead the things that all strong women need when they are broken. Silent solidarity and space to grieve. Dayle was grateful.

When Dayle's sobs had ceased, River said gently, "We have all made mistakes. We have all let people down. Even The Doctor."

River crouched down in front of Dayle, touched her knee. "You can't take back the past. You can't erase it from time. You can't change every single person's mind about you, no matter how much it hurts. You can do this though. You must. Because you are an empath with a special gift. And because you are the only one who can."

Dayle raised her head, her eyes tired and red-rimmed. "You love him. And it's impossible for him to love you." She whispered sadly.

River smiled a melancholy little smile. "Nobody's perfect."

After a pause, Dayle asked "What do I have to do?"


	8. Chapter 8

Dayle was running wildly down the hallway toward the TARDIS, the Sonic Screwdriver held high like a torch. The Doctor sighed and snapped his fingers wearily. The doors squeaked open and Dayle ran right in. The Doctor held his hand up and caught the Sonic as she ran by.

Dayle had finally stopped, still unaware of her surroundings. She was out of breath, bent at the waist. She looked a little crazed.

"Suds." She croaked. "Soap suds. From the dishwasher. I found your electric pen thingy a-a-and turned a dial and pressed a button and my dishwasher just flew open and started shooting soap suds out. It's all over the apartment. It was like, super pissed off or something." She had finally caught her breath but still looked disoriented.

Finally, she caught a glimpse of the expansive console room. "Wait, hold up. Where the hell am I?" She started to walk quickly backwards until she was back out in the hall, standing in front of the blue box. Her eyes bugged.

The Doctor held up a finger to silence her. "Let me figure out what you've done before we are all swimming in dish soap." He examined the Sonic, fiddled with the controls, then aimed it down the hall toward Dayle's apartment and pressed the button. The tidal wave of soap suds coming from her apartment slowed, then stopped.

Satisfied, he flipped the Sonic into the air, caught it and stuck it in his pocket. "That 'electric pen thingy' happens to be cutting edge sonic technology." He sounded slightly offended.

"Ok, John. You gotta help me out here, because I'm freaking the fuck out right now." Dayle gave a nervous laugh. She was trembling a bit. Likely, the result of adrenaline mixing with anxiety.

The Doctor stepped out with a kind smile. "Why don't we go get this mess cleaned up and we'll talk, eh?" He put his hand on her elbow and gently guided her back down the hall. Almost as an afterthought, he snapped the fingers of his other hand and the doors to the TARDIS squeaked back shut.

Dayle jabbered all the way down the hall. "So, I'm just hanging out with an alien right now? You're just an alien in my apartment building. Totally normal. Just another day in Dayle's life. Hanging out with an alien who travels in time and space."

"Let's get you in here and make you some tea." He steered her through soap suds that were waist high toward the sofa. "Have a seat here and I'll take of everything. My turn to take care of you." He clapped his hands together eagerly and grinned.

Fifteen minutes later, he joined her on the couch, setting a tray laden with cookies and tea on the sofa table in front of them. She had her head leaned back, one hand over her face. She was muttering to herself. "All set!" he announced.

She looked up. She seemed shocked to see the soap suds all gone and the tea service he had put together for them. "Whoa. You're like an alien butler or something." she said, grabbing a cookie.

"Call me Doctor," he said absentmindedly. "Most people do." He poured out their tea then waited until she had hers in hand before he asked, "So, tell me... are you slightly psychic Dayle?"

The look Dayle gave him spoke volumes. "Uh, not even a little bit slightly psychic. Why on earth would you think that?"

"Hmm." The Doctor was somewhat disappointed. "So the link has to be entirely between Dayle A and myself. The trouble is, I can't very well talk to Dayle A. And there's only Dayle B with me here in this universe. Communicating across universes. This is going to be a might trickier than I thought..."

"Hold on a minute..." Dayle interrupted. "Dayle A is the Dayle from the other universe? The waitress who smokes and hangs out at the library. That's Dayle A? Why can't I be Dayle A? I mean, you've met me. You're in my apartment. I nursed you back to health. And I get Dayle B?" She sounded genuinely hurt.

The Doctor looked at her incredulously. "Seriously? You do realize you are getting jealous of yourself right now?" He sighed. "Humans, I tell you." He wiped his hand across his face. "Ok. I am going to try a telepathic experiment. It won't hurt a bit. Is that ok?"

"Sure, why not? Dayle A would probably let you do it. And if it's good enough for Dayle A, by golly it's good enough for Dayle B."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and turned towards her. He placed the tips of his fingers against her temples and attempted to make a psychic link.

Flashes of her memories rolled through the Doctor's mind. He saw a pregnant teenager, then a devastated young girl handing a baby off to a happy couple in a hospital room. He saw nursing school, a wedding, a number of negative pregnancy tests. A doctor saying she was unable to conceive. He saw the husband in bed with another woman. He saw how she closed herself off after that. That she preferred to be alone. He felt her sadness. But there was nothing there of the other Dayle. Of any psychic link. He'd have to find another way.

He took his fingers away and opened his eyes. She was staring at him, big blue eyes full of tears. For the first time, truly vulnerable.

"I felt you inside my mind. You saw everything, didn't you?" She put her face in her hands and cried.

"Hey hey hey..." The Doctor flailed a bit, unsure of what to do. He'd start to touch her shoulder, then think better of it. Went to take her hand, then thought better of that too. "Uhm. Well..." He fidgeted, scratched his face. "Shall I...?"

She interrupted, half laughing through her tears, "Isn't that just the biggest cosmic joke there is? I did the responsible thing by putting my baby up for adoption at 16 and then I grow up and get married and can't have babies." She sat back and sniffed. "My daughter turned eighteen this year. She's with some other family."

The Doctor thought of the brunette with the brown eyes from the other universe. She appeared to be about eighteen. He took Dayle's hand and squeezed.

* * *

"Well," River began, rising to her feet, "You must achieve a trance state and then you must attempt to make contact." She crossed the room to her handbag she'd left laying on the bed. She retrieved an envelope from within and handed it to Dayle. "I have something here that might help you in that regard. And this, is where I'm afraid I must depart."

Dayle looked up in astonishment. "What the hell are you talking about? I thought I was helping you. I thought this was something we were going to do together. And you're just gonna hand me some mystery envelope and split? Lady, you better get with the explaining. I may be short and I may be out of shape, but I'm pretty sure I could kick your ass." She moved to block the door.

River gave Dayle one of her patented smirks and began tapping at a device on her wrist.

"The Doctor and I always meet out of order. When I first met him, he had known me for quite some time. Most of the time, each time I see him, he's younger and knows me less. Sometimes when we meet, he has an entirely different face. That's a story for another time though." River chuckled when Dayle responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, once, ages ago it seems, he had come to visit, and he was much older than he is in my current timestream. He was older, and he had been through some things. We were talking about people we've...known. He was being uncharacteristically open that night. And he spoke of you. A sweary blonde who was a nurse. Or, apparently, will be. Spoilers." She smiled that unfathomable smile. "Anyway, he was light on details, but he said you had saved him. Rescued him from a parallel universe. Dayle Moss, he'd said. I've never forgotten. Such an exquisite name."

River stopped tinkering with the elaborate gadget on her wrist and looked directly at Dayle. "Three days ago, I was on an archaelogical dig in the Malum Star System. A planet called Monitum. I intercepted a transmission on my radio. It was the Doctor. Calling to some spaceship he was trying to rescue nearby. And just then there was a neutron star collision. The side of Monitum that my crew were working on was fortunately spared from the blast. Shielded by a moon that was very nearly destroyed."

Dayle looked tense, caught up in the telling of events.

"As soon as I could, I got hold of a small vessel and went in search of him. In the afterglow of the gamma ray burst, I tried everything I could think of. I used my TARDIS geo locator device. It is supposed to provide you with exact space-time coordinates. It doesn't always work. Oh but this time, it did. The two neutron stars that collided tore each other apart and formed a black hole. The TARDIS, it seemed, had been pulled in by the magnetic field. But she wasn't destroyed. I know this because moments later, I got an alert on a small transmitter that I carry. An alert that told me he had activated a specific fast return switch. And I remembered something else that he'd told me, the day he talked about you. He said that it had been the one and only time he had tried that switch."

She stared at Dayle. Dayle stared back.

"So you came to find me?" Dayle concluded.

River nodded. "I knew I couldn't really meddle in events, but I just had to be sure. I wanted to be sure you knew that he needed you." River's gaze was penetrating. Trying to communicate something more than she was saying. "And now, I must go. I can't interfere with the timeline any further. But I believe you can do this. I truly do." And with that, she pressed a few more buttons on the wrist device, and vanished in a puff of ozone and a discharge of electricity.

Dayle stood frozen, the envelope held tightly to her chest. She gingerly looked down and peered inside. The envelope contained a small handmade candle, a photograph, and a note.


	9. Chapter 9

After the failed telepathic experiment, Dayle became very quiet. She finished her tea and cleared away the mess.

The Doctor was concerned. "We don't always get what we deserve you know?" he called to her softly.

Dayle returned to the room and sat on the opposite end of the sofa, fiddling with her curls.

He continued, "The universe has a funny way of making its own plans for us. You don't..."

"Life isn't fair." she interrupted bitterly. "I know. No need to mansplain that one to me. It's the story of my life." The tears were back.

The Doctor smiled and waited a beat. "Life isn't just something that happens to you Dayle. You have to happen to it." When she didn't immediately reply with venom, he went on. "You're so young. The way you act, you'd think your life was over. But there's so much more."

He moved closer to her on the sofa and put his arm around her in a friendly, comforting manner. He was actually surprised he didn't get a punch in the nose for that move. He took her acceptance of his embrace as an encouraging sign. "You can't take back the past. You can't erase it from time. Moving forward is the only option." He paused and gently booped her nose. "Or you can always continue standing still."

She smiled slightly and leaned into him. "I thought you were supposed to be the Lord of Time or whatever with your fancy time machine. You're telling me you've never gotten a do over?"

The Doctor laughed at that. "Rewriting past events is almost never a good idea. Even when it seems that way at the time."

 _Later_

They were back in his TARDIS, the Doctor poring over a pile of books he had retrieved from his library. Dayle was wandering around, taking it all in with a look of disbelief on her face.

"How is this possible?" she wanted to know. "You walk into a phone booth sized box and somehow it's bigger inside. This is incredible. And pretty damn nutso."

The Doctor was looking for something, anything in the small collection of books he'd kept from his days at the Time Lord Academy. Of all the books on quantum "theory" and parallel worlds that might exist, these textbooks from Gallifrey would be the most accurate, the most advanced.

As the Doctor skimmed the pages, he jabbered. "I understand physically what has happened. I was in the right place at the right time in the right ship at the precise moment a black hole formed. With part of her defenses down, my TARDIS couldn't resist the magnetic field and was drawn in." He threw the book he'd been looking through down in frustration, picked up another.

"So, you're saying that black holes contain entirely different dimensions?" Dayle looked interested, if skeptical.

"It's not that simple really. Strictly speaking, black holes do not actually contain anything. In fact their very nature is that they are made up of antimatter- like a negative number." he explained. "The same properties of matter, only flipped. And their power is such that almost nothing can escape their vacuum. I suppose if any old space vessel were sucked in, it would simply be destroyed. A TARDIS though is Time Lord technology, which actually harnesses the power of black holes. For a Time Lord, in the right circumstances, a black hole becomes a portal."

"Does the portal work both ways?" Dayle asked, her eyes telling him that she was indeed keeping up.

"That," he told her, discarding another book, "is what I'd like to find out more about. Theoretically, yes. Practically, it's risky."

"Risky as in, you could die?", she looked concerned.

"Risky as in, there are an infinite number of universes and the odds that I end up back in the right place are practically nonexistent." He finger-marked the page he was on, sitting down in one of the jump seats. "Unless... unless I can fix on an anchor point with precise coordinates and create a line directly to it. Like a tow rope." The irony of that analogy was not lost on him.

Dayle nodded her understanding. "That's where Dayle A comes in."

The Doctor smiled, returning to his reading. "That's where Dayle A comes in."

He had just come across a section that seemed to support his tow rope theory when he felt a strange tickle at the back of his mind. He shook his head a bit, and it seemed to cease. Clearing his throat, he tried to regain his concentration. The words on the page blurred before him and he began to hear white noise. He felt a chill.

" _Doctor?"_ a whispered question reaching him from another world. The book dropped to the floor of the control room.

"Doctor?" Dayle came to him, concerned.

* * *

The note was short. It simply said:

" _Light the candle to induce a trance state. It contains a mild soporific. Direct telepathic communication can be achieved through focus. Picture the person in your mind. Call to them._ "

She wasn't sure if it was River's own words, or a quote from a book. Regardless this whole thing was utter madness. And now, Dayle realized that she was afraid.

River had disappeared right before her eyes, had simply jumped to another location with the touch of a couple buttons. This was no joke. And she didn't know these people, their true intentions. What if something bad were to happen to her? What if she couldn't be there for Savannah? What if Ember grew up never knowing how very much she was loved by her mother? Tears came to her eyes.

Then River's words returned to her " _Because you are the only one who can._ " Dayle had an unfamiliar feeling. A feeling that there was more to her than a mom and a screw up. She felt like she mattered. And she felt like she had to do this, to see it through. She had to have faith that it was for the greater good, even if she wasn't entirely sure about River's heart. Dayle had sensed a kindness there, but it was nearly overwhelmed by a darkness. And something else.

She pulled an ashtray from the table and sat cross legged in the center of the room. Trembling, she set the ashtray down, propped up the strange, smelly candle there. She pulled the picture from the envelope then and looked closely at the strange man whom she was meant to rescue.

She was struck at once by how he looked so youthful yet so old and wise all at once. His light colored eyes were kind but ancient. His smile was lovely. His hair and bow tie a bit silly.

"Hello Doctor". She whispered. "I guess we're doin this."

Dayle lit the candle with her cigarette lighter and closed her eyes. She breathed in the strange tasting smoke, hoping this didn't count against her sobriety. A fog began to envelop her mind almost immediately, along with a strange crackling sound. She felt herself float away from her body, her mind going someplace else.

She found herself on a road, fog all around. There were street lights, meant to help see in the dark but they only interfered with her vision, the way the fog bounced off them.

She was alone and afraid. She concentrated on the image of his face in her mind's eye and called out:

" _Doctor?"_

She felt more than heard the crackling intensify. And she could feel the moment the connection was made.

He strolled out of the fog, smiling uncertainly. _"Dayle?"_ He inquired.

" _So you know me?"_ She was pleased and suddenly felt a bit shy toward him.

As he came closer, he laughed lightly and replied, _"And you know me. I actually know two of you, believe it or not."_

They faced each other, standing there in the road in Dayle's mind.

" _Do you understand what's happened?"_ he asked, peering into her eyes carefully.

Dayle sensed that the less she thought about River's involvement, about the future, the better.

So she told him _"I dreamed about you. The explosion. You were badly hurt... Are you ok?"_

He grinned, seemed touched that she cared for his well-being. _"My kind heal much more quickly than humans. From most things. Are you ok? I dreamed of you too. You were sad."_ he seemed to be searching her eyes.

Suddenly self conscious, she said quickly, _"I'm ok. I'm going through some things. But I'm working on it."_ It hadn't occurred to Dayle that he might be seeing into her life as well. The thought troubled her.

They seemed to be avoiding the issue at hand. So she figured she'd start.

" _You need my help."_ A statement, not a question.

He clapped his hands together. _"Yes, well... I'm a bit stuck. And for some reason, you and I have made some sort of impossible connection. You know, I actually met Parallel Universe You after the dreams started."_ He scratched his head, pulled a face. " _She may have thought I was a bit crazy when I first told her that."_

Dayle laughed, _"As well she should have."_ The strangest conversation she'd ever had, by a long shot. _"Shit,_ " she shook her head. _"A Parallel Universe Me."_

The Doctor wrinkled his nose, disapproving. _"I guess not all things are different. A bit sweary too I see."_

" _Doctor, what can I do?"_

" _I'm working on that. I'm going to have to fly my ship back up to that star system, in this universe I mean. And somehow, I'm going to have to try to cross back through the black hole. In some way, I'm hoping our connection can be a bridge."_

She took that information in. A bridge. _"How will I know when it's time?"_

" _Don't worry,"_ he grinned and turned to go _"you'll get the message."_

Dayle awoke from the trance with a start. The candle was burned down to the end. The whole room smelled of it. She coughed and opened the door to let some fresh air in.

So that was The Doctor. She liked his quirkiness, the odd way he spoke, his mannerisms.

Me in a parallel universe, she mused. I wonder if I'm any happier there.


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor came back to himself with a start, shaking his head to clear his mind. Dayle was crouched in front of him looking concerned.

"Jeeeez. You had me scared to death. How do you feel? This must be from the head trauma. Follow my finger with your eyes." She held a finger up and moved it back and forth in front of him.

"Dayle, Dayle it's ok. I'm fine. Listen...we've made contact!" He beamed and jumped up full of nervous energy. He wrung his hands together with excitement. "Right! I need to figure out what exactly the link is between Miz Dayle A and myself because this level of psionic energy is nearly unheard of."

He rushed back to the library, leaving Dayle crouched in front of the jump seat, finger still held up to administer the neuro exam, blinking dumbly. "I'm so done." She muttered.

The Doctor perused the shelves, searching for the title he needed. "Where are you... There!" He reached and plucked the dusty tome from a high shelf. He rifled through the pages and came to a chapter discussing psionic energy. He read and snapped the book shut, shaking his head, still not satisfied. "For a human to be able to focus that amount of concentrated psychic energy straight through to another universe..." he fidgeted with his lower lip.

Dayle joined him in the library. "Holy crap Doc. Leave a trail of bread crumbs next time. How big IS this place anyway?"

He continued talking, as if Dayle had heard the beginning of his thought process. "I don't believe even a time lord would have that ability naturally. The only species that would even attempt such a... NO." He smacked himself on the forehead. "Stupid! It's been staring me in the face this whole time. Tregannon. Tregannon technology. The ship in the Malum system. It was a hologram projected by the Tregannon."

Dayle sat in a plush velvet reading chair, clearly amused by his hyper display.

He paced and wrung his hands. "But why? Why did they send me to this universe? Where does Dayle fit in to all this?"

"Unless..." His eyes grew wide and he looked at Dayle. "The last time I encountered this species- the Tregannon- the trouble all started because the little troll was trying to locate his Focusing Amplifier. Just a round bit of ferrous metal, something like a rock. But it is the cornerstone of Tregannon technology. It allows them to boost Psionic energy over a tremendous distance. In that case, the Focusing Amplifier ended up in a museum in Athens before it was recovered by one of the Tregannon's associates. But the creature, Sancreda had a connection with that amplifier even from England."

Dayle leaned forward in her chair, perplexed. "So you think one of these Focusing Whatsits is the connection? You think Dayle A somehow came in contact with one somewhere?"

"No, what I'm saying is far worse than that. I'm saying she has it in her possession and is not aware of it. I'm saying that one of the Tregannon wants it back and plans to go to Earth to retrieve it. I'm saying that Dayle A and the whole of planet Earth may be in a great deal of trouble."

"But like, just the Earth in your universe, right? I mean..." He gave her a withering look. "Okay. Okay. Not helping, I know."

"I have to get back immediately. They must have sprung that trap to get me out of the way. The only way they could get to me in my TARDIS. The only way they could assure I wouldn't regenerate."

"But wait a second? Why you? What makes you so special?"

The Doctor looked at her like she was a moron. Then, realized that she truly couldn't know.

"Well, you see" he began, straightening his bow tie. "The Earth is under my protection. And that is a known fact throughout the cosmos." he bragged.

Dayle smirked. "Seriously? You? With the bow tie. In a phone booth. With all your flailing and fidgeting. YOU are feared by every species in the galaxy? What, do you have an arsenal of weapons here you haven't mentioned? Laser beams that come out of your eyes?"

He sensed she was just trying to take him down a notch but he rose to the bait anyway. "Hey! I have beaten Daleks! I have beaten Cybermen! The Nestenes, the Zygons, the Sontarans. I'll have you know I've turned whole armies around at the mention of my name. In some parts of the galaxy, they call me the oncoming storm..." He saw that she was doubled over laughing and he threw his hands up helplessly.

"No, I don't have an arsenal of weapons. No I don't have laser eyes. I'm 1100 years old. I'm a Time Lord and I'm bloody brilliant, alright?"

Dayle wiped away tears from her laughing fit, hopped up from her chair and patted him on the back. "Whatever you say, Oncoming Storm. Let's get dinner while we're figuring out how to save Earth A. I'm starving." She looked him up and down. "Maybe you should change your clothes. You're looking a bit raggedy."

* * *

"Well, what do you need to borrow that skirt for?" Savannah groaned "Oh, don't tell me you have a date. Not with that Shawn again." She was looking at her mother disapprovingly.

They were in the basement bedroom Savannah shared with her boyfriend Michael. The home belonged to Michael's parents who were apparently both raging alcoholics and fought constantly. They were thankfully out of town visiting family.

Dayle was standing in front of a full length mirror, turning this way and that, trying to decide how she looked in the skirt. "I don't know. I just feel like looking cute. I've been concentrating on work and saving money. I really don't have anything nice to wear." She shrugged. "And no. I'm not messing with Shawn anymore. I got my room in Kirkmore for the week. It's about time I stand on my own two feet, don't you think?" She adjusted the skirt and peered at her reflection. She kinda liked what she saw.

Savanna watched her mother curiously. "Are you ok mom? You seem... different."

Dayle looked up and caught her daughter's eyes in the reflection.

Dayle smiled at her. "I'm good Vannah. Real good."

"Wait just a minute." Savannah narrowed her eyes and plunked down on the bed nearby. "You have met someone. Who is he? Is he someone from one of your meetings?"

Dayle tried to keep her face impassive but she'd never been good at hiding her feelings from Savannah. "I've made a... friend, yes. But it's nothing like that. We just talk, I swear."

"But you like him." Savannah insisted, obviously enjoying the blush creeping up her mother's neck. "You think he's hot. I can tell! And you want to look cute for him!" She laughed and waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Dayle retrieved a shoe from the floor at her feet and threw it at her daughter. "Quit making fun of your mother. Damn you." She couldn't help but join in the laughter. She fell onto the bed and they lay there together, laughing like kids.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying being together. It was getting easier between them the longer Dayle stayed sober.

Savannah had swung by the motel in Michael's beat up old pickup truck and picked her up after dropping him off at work for the night shift. She had called first wanting to check on her mom after the incident at the library. Dayle was glad for the distraction and was delighted at the idea of coming to see where her daughter was living. She'd never been invited before now.

She didn't mention to Savannah that River had showed up at her motel only 2 hours before. And she sure as hell wasn't telling her about the Doctor.

Savannah turned onto her side, propped her head up with her hand. "Can I do a makeover on you? I could do you hair and nails, fix you up with a cute outfit. The whole nine." She tugged one of her mom's curls playfullly.

Dayle mirrored her daughter's pose. "I don't know Vannah. Sounds like some real Oprah bullshit to me." she taunted. Her smile said she felt otherwise.

Savanna cracked up at that. "Oh mom. Come on. It will be fun. And Mr. Wonderful won't be able to resist..." She was silenced when her mother hit her upside the head with a pillow.

They stayed up late into the night. Dayle didn't need to be at work until 2:00 pm the next afternoon. By the time Savannah dropped her back at her room in Kirkmore, Dayle was exhausted but she felt better than she had in a long time. She longed for nights like this with her daughter. Before she'd started using, it was a regular thing for them.

Dayle dumped her things on the chair and fell onto the motel bed fully clothed. She was fast asleep on top of the covers within minutes.


	11. Chapter 11

**_I have to say that I didn't think this story would turn out this way. Every time I've sat down to write, my imagination has taken me on twists and turns. Every night, I close my laptop thinking: I can't wait to see what happens next! lol I suspect there are several more chapters left to Dayle's story. Stay tuned and thanks for reading! -Ruinous79_**

* * *

Dayle and the Doctor sat on the floor in her tiny dining room, eating Chinese food, paper cartons spread out between them.

"I still don't understand why you don't have a kitchen table." He leaned against one wall. "You enjoy picnics that much?"

Dayle dug around in a carton of beef vegetables with her chopsticks. "I don't eat here much. And it's just me." She shrugged. "I dunno. Feels too family-ish I guess. I think I'd feel like a fraud."

"Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten. You're a hopeless recluse with no possible chance of having a family. What's the point of even pretending, eh?" He set down his chopsticks and folded his hands in his lap. "Why don't you just get a couple cats, take up knitting. I'll bet the town library has a lovely little club you can join. Like, Spinsters United, local chapter..."

"Alright wise ass. I get it. Ha ha very funny." She took a drink from her beer and was silent for a moment. She stared at her beer, peeling at the label. "Maybe it's not too late. Maybe I am young and the best is yet to come. But maybe it's just easier, safer not to try. People can be awfully disappointing."

The Doctor watched her. His hearts went out to her. She was scared but she wasn't hopeless. "People can also surprise you. And you may even surprise yourself."

They didn't speak much as they cleared up the mess, put the leftovers in the fridge. It was late and she had to work early in the morning. He had a feeling that she understood that she likely wouldn't see him again. And she was also perceptive enough to know he was eager to get going and had only endured the humany ritual of dinner for her sake. He figured if things got bad for the other Dayle, he'd know it immediately.

They walked to the door that just earlier today, he had arrived at bleeding. The door she had slammed after pushing him out into the hall.

"Sooo... I guess you're off to save the world or whatever. Be careful, will you? And do me a solid, don't bring that shit over to my side of the street. I have enough troubles of my own." She grinned and tugged on his bow tie.

"Dayle it has been a pleasure. I can't thank you enough for taking me in. As hard as you work at disguising it, you are a truly compassionate woman." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't give up on your dream, eh?" He touched her face gently. "There are children all over the place that need a mum as caring as you are."

Her eyes welled up. She hugged him tightly, then gave him a playful shove. "Good bye. Mr. Lord of Fucking Time."

"Farewell, Sweary Nurse." He gave a little salute, then was on his way down the hall. She watched after him.

He boarded the TARDIS, closed the doors behind him and started the dematerialization sequence. A great wheezing, groaning sound filled the hallway as the blue box faded completely out of sight.

Dayle stood looking at the empty space where the TARDIS had stood, sad to see her new strange friend go. But so happy to have known him.

 _Somewhere in the Malum Star System, Alternate Universe_

The Doctor had piloted the TARDIS within a prudent distance of the black hole. They spun safely there in space while he made his preparations. He was putting the finishing touches on the device he would use to form his end of the tow rope. A psionometric relay.

He screwed on the last mount and set the gleaming blue sapphire in its place. Tightened it down. It was a special crystal from the planet Metebelis III with many useful properties. It was a crucial element of his hastily thrown together relay due to the fact that it greatly enhanced psychic powers. In this case, it was intended to enhance not just his telepathic abilities, but also the symbiotic link between the Doctor and his TARDIS.

"Alright Sexy," he asked his ship "Are we ready to give it a go?" He carefully attached the device's inductor coil to the base of the directional unit. He then ran a wire to the Telepathic Induction Circuit. He got bit by a current of electricity and the lights in the control room flickered once but otherwise, it seemed that the circuit remained stable.

"Ok" he clapped his hands "This is going to be all about timing I'm afraid." The TARDIS'S engines stuttered nervously. "Right there with you Old Girl." He grimaced and wrung his hands together.

He entered coordinates into the spatial location input and the ship began to veer toward the black hole's gravitational field. He set the acceleration controls for Drift. He looked around the control room, ready for a fight.

This time, the cloister bell did not sound. In fact, the TARDIS did not resist one bit. He chose to take that as a good sign rather than a sign that she was simply resigned to their fate.

Just before the TARDIS hit the very edge of the event horizon, the Doctor sprang into action. He quickly flipped the switch on the psionometric relay device, pulled down the dematerialization lever, buckled himself in to the jump seat and murmured "Geronimo."

As the TARDIS became locked in the fearsome grip of the black hole and was pulled inward, she also began to dematerialize. He closed his eyes and tapped into his telepathic senses. He pictured a pretty blonde woman, with blue-gray eyes and a stunning, if sad smile. A girl who was very lost in her own life but had somehow become his only way home. And then he called her name.

* * *

 _Rest Well Motel, Kirkmore, OH_

" _Dayle!"_ The spectral voice of the Doctor cut through her sleeping mind. She tossed and turned over, mumbled in her sleep. The connection was made as he reached into her unconscious mind.

In her dream, she was once more on that nameless road in the fog. There were no street lights here now, just the moon hidden behind a thin veil of clouds. The Doctor stood far away in the fog, cloaked in shadow. Faceless.

" _Doctor!_ " she called in response, moving toward the shadowy figure. His presence seemed to fade out for a moment then become substantial once more.

As she made her way to him, a storm blew in all at once, the fog dissipating and great drops of rain beginning to fall. The harder she fought to reach him, the more the wind seemed to resist. In her physical reality, she might have enjoyed the novelty of the sudden intense monsoon. In her mind, it was only a hindrance. She had never used her psychic voice, her psychic presence before she'd made contact with the Doctor. She might not be strong enough.

She could see the Doctor more clearly now as he was no longer concealed by the fog. He strained against the elements, seemingly unable to move. He reached his hand out to her through the downpour, his kind face dripped rain, his eyes looked hopeful.

" _Dayle!_ " he called once more, his voice sounded even more distant than before. He appeared to flicker out, then return. She reached toward him.

Rain soaked her, obstructed her vision, chilled her to the bone. And somehow he was farther away than ever. The strain was beginning to give her a headache. Her feet were made of lead and she was losing her footing in what was now slippery mud. She was bent over against the cold rain.

Dayle wasn't going to be able to do this. It was stupid to think she could. He faded once more, appearing more as a phantom now than a person. She dropped her reaching arm to her side.

She wanted to just sit down and cover her head. She wanted to pretend none of this had ever happened. That she'd never seen the explosion in a dream. That she'd never laid eyes on a woman called River. She closed her eyes. She couldn't watch as the man she was meant to help faded out completely. She couldn't watch as he slipped away forever. All because she had failed, yet again.

 _He is counting on me goddammit. I am his only hope. I am his way home. I am his bridge._ The thought was her own, but that didn't make it any less effective. It was like a slap in the face. I am his bridge.

Her eyes flew open. _"Doctor!"_ She commanded, her voice strong and clear in her mind, _"I am here. Come toward me. Come toward me now._ " She held out both her hands and took another step forward. The moon was entirely obstructed by the clouds now. The wind whipped around her, the rain completely blinding her.

When it became clear to her she could walk no further, she ordered _"Doctor! I've come as far as I can. You need to meet me halfway."_ She stood strongly on both feet, dug her heels in. She stood tall though the rain tried to make her shrink and the wind tried to sway her.

And then she felt a hand grasp for hers and she captured it tightly between both of her own. _I am his bridge_.

She sat straight up in bed just as a strange wheezing, groaning sound begin to fill the motel room. She had fallen asleep with the light on and to her amazement, a large shape began to materialize in the corner opposite the bed. It was a tall blue box, roughly the shape of a telephone booth. She blinked. "Now just what the hell is this?"


	12. Chapter 12

Dayle shrunk back against the headboard, unsettled by the appearance of the box. Could this be him? Was this his TARDIS ship that River had spoken of? She was uncertain but hopeful.

The doors then squeaked open and the Doctor emerged looking a bit disoriented but also very relieved. He surveyed his surroundings, then spotted Dayle cowering on the bed. His face broke into a proud grin.

"Dayle Moss. You don't do things by half do you? You've brought me directly to your doorstep. Well done!" He bounded forward and grabbed her up in an enthusiastic hug.

Except where her girls were concerned, Dayle wasn't much of a hugger. But her heart jumped in her chest when he pulled her in for the celebratory embrace. She felt warmth and gratitude coming from him. It was like they already knew each other, like it was a reunion.

She felt the butterflies in her stomach as she had from their previous psychic encounters. Their connection was intense. It went beyond telepathy. She pulled away first, a bit disconcerted.

He appeared not to notice and jumped right in. "Right, so you need to show me the stone. The rock looking thingee that you carry with you wherever you go." He looked at her expectantly, hand held out.

"Hold up. What on earth are you talking about?" But before he could even answer, she knew exactly what he meant, but was absolutely mystified by what it could possible mean to him.

The smooth stone given to her by her miserable Aunt Lucy when she was little, probably just to shut her up. Aunt Lucy hated children and dealt with Dayle and Lynette as little as possible once they came into her care. Dayle's mother had committed suicide when Dayle was only three. Netty had been six and at least had some memories of her. The stone was all Dayle ever had. Her Aunt Lucy said it was her dead mother's good luck charm. Dayle hadn't found it to be much of one.

After all, she'd had the rock with her when she learned that her estranged father had died in a drunken car crash. They'd never even held a real conversation. She'd never gotten to know him. She read about it in the paper. His new family hadn't bothered to inform her.

The stone had been in her possession when her first live in boyfriend Stuart had put her in the hospital with a broken nose and fractured eye socket. Nine year old Savannah had watched from a broken window in their tiny trailer as the ambulance took her away.

She'd had the rock with her the night she was walking home from her job at Lochte's Tavern and was attacked by a customer who had been flirting with her all night. Raped and left in a heap unconscious for some kids to find on their way to school the next morning. Savannah had been eleven then. She'd woken up to find her mother had never made it home. Naturally the man was never charged. Dayle had been flirting with him back at the bar after all. She had alcohol in her system and was dressed in booty shorts and a skimpy top. You can't rape a slut, everyone knows that.

And she'd had the so-called lucky rock nearby the night she'd overdosed on heroin and a sixteen year old Savannah had found her and performed CPR on her until the ambulance arrived to revive her with a shot of Narcan. Savannah had been certain Dayle was dead and had cried so hard she'd thrown up and had broken blood vessels in her eyes for days after. And she never left her mother's side in the hospital. Refused to go anywhere with Aunt Lynette.

The Doctor's expectant expression grew into concern as he watched her overtaken by a wave of guilt and grief. She kneeled by the tall floor lamp and rifled through her denim backpack. She handed him the stone, her face turned away from him to hide her tears. She didn't even care to know anymore why on earth he'd want the damn thing.

He took the Focusing Amplifier from her, turning it over in his hand.

"Dayle..." he began.

"My good luck rock." Dayle's voice was thick with tears. "Passed down from my mother who hung herself when I was three. That was certainly good luck, wasn't it?" She laughed ironically and sat on the floor, finally turning her face up to look at him. "I had it with me through every shitty thing life has thrown at me. Through every decision I thought was best at the time that came back to bite me on the ass. And it stayed by my side as I fucked up my life and the lives of my kids. Made my family and friends hate me. Lucky me, huh?"

The Doctor crouched down beside her and gently took her hand. Their psychic connection was still very strong, likely amplified by the Tregannon device he now held. Through that simple touch, he felt just what she was feeling, saw instantly the whole tragic story of Dayle's life. And his hearts broke for her.

"Brave heart Dayle Moss." He whispered with a world of understanding in his hazel eyes. She felt strengthened somehow by the simple words. He pulled her to her feet.

"Why don't you come along with me on a little trip. And I will explain to you exactly what this 'lucky rock' of yours is. And I will let you personally be the one to dispose of it."

She allowed herself to be tugged along toward the peculiar blue box with the words "Police Public Call Box" painted at the top of the doors in white.

* * *

Dayle had forgotten herself for the moment. She stared in childlike wonder around at the expansive control room. "Bigger... on the inside. Wait... how?"

The Doctor enthusiastically clapped his hands, whirled around and hopped up to the control console. He flipped switches, pressed buttons and pulled a lever that rocked the very room they were standing in.

As the now familiar sound of the wheezing engines began, the Doctor explained proudly, "The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental. T-A-R-D-I-S. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Like no ship any other species has. The TARDIS is telepathic and infinite and most of the time quite a bit smarter than its pilot." He wrinkled his nose a bit at this last as the lights seemed to flash in agreement.

Dayle laughed softly. "So where are we going and why do you need to dispose of that stone?"

"Well," he consulted the scanner and made a couple more adjustments to the controls. "That rock is actually a bit of technology from a race called the Tregannon. Nasty little 3 foot tall trolls with wicked motives and fearsomely powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities. No telling when it was left here or how your mum may have got hold of it. What I do know is that I was tossed into a black hole because somebody wanted it back. They wanted me out of the way so they could come to earth and cause trouble with no recourse." He said all this in his hyper, rapid fire way while pacing and wringing his hands together like a fussy old man. "Fortunately, they appear to have taken for granted they had all the time in the world. Not a wise assumption when dealing with a Time Lord."

"Wait a minute. Back up!" Dayle held her hands up, halting his soliloquy. "Are you telling me, my empathic abilities, my claircognizance are just the result of some alien metal I've been unknowingly holding on to?"

"No, actually. The Focusing Amplifier cannot make someone psychic. It can only help to boost the power of their natural psionic energy over a greater distance. And it seems when I went in to the black hole, the Tregannon who was responsible for putting me there, who is looking for this Amplifier, somehow unwittingly created a psychic link between myself and you." He grinned shyly at her. "And for that, I will be eternally grateful."

Dayle looked down at her hands blushing. "Yes, I suppose the damn rock was a little lucky, after all?"

"Would you like to see something amazing?" The Doctor asked her excitedly.

"Something more amazing than this?" she asked doubtfully, gesturing around the room.

He pulled a lever and the doors came open, revealing the deep blue-black of outer space, broken only by bright, shining stars. The sight took Dayle's breath away.

She found herself compelled to walk toward the open door. "How is this possible?" she gasped.

"We're protected by a force field. You're perfectly safe." he insisted, clearly endeared by her awed appreciation of the spectacle.

He came and sat at the door's threshold, feet dangling into space. He patted the spot beside him. She joined him, completely trusting that he'd let no harm come to her.

"Look right over there. Do you see that?" He pointed. "That is the black hole. The portal you pulled me through."

She stared, impressed. "But I thought that anything caught up in a black hole was destroyed."

"Most things are, yes." He produced the Focusing Amplifier from his jacket pocket and placed it into her hand. "This for instance."

She stared at the stone, amazed that she'd held such power all this time and had no idea.

"We are drifting on the very edge of the Event Horizon. If you were to throw the stone that way, it will be caught up in the gravitational pull." He grinned. "Would you like to give it a go?"

Dayle smiled broadly. "Fuckin A."

She reeled back and tossed the Focusing Amplifier out of the TARDIS. Once it passed through the force field, it slowed and seemed to float like a cartoon slow pitch. They watched as it crossed into the Event Horizon and seemed to freeze in place, growing redder and redder.

"I'm afraid we might very well have ruined the day of a certain Tregannon" the Doctor said cheerfully. He looked at Dayle then and saw that sadness had settled back over her. He took her hand and even without the Focusing Amplifier, her sorrow was palpable.

"I told you that I met another version of you, in the other universe I mean."

"Yes." Dayle replied simply.

"Well that particular Dayle, she chose not to have a child at sixteen. She gave the baby up for adoption. She followed what she thought was the right path, went to nursing school, got married..."

Dayle seemed to flinch at his words, regret all over her face as she closed her eyes and tears began to fall.

"But you see, she found she couldn't have children after all that. And her husband left her for her best friend. And when I met her, she was closed off and alone. She had given up on happiness because life didn't go the way she'd planned."

Dayle was now watching him, astonished by the unexpected outcome.

"You know you don't have to make decisions based on who you've been. You can do whatever you want to do. Be who you want to be."

Fresh tears of frustration came to Dayle's eyes and she untangled her hand from his, stood up and made her way to the other side of the control room.

He followed, closing the door as he came. He stopped and gave her some distance.

"You just don't get it, do you?" She shouted, rounding on him. "Do you understand what I've done? Do you get where I am in my life? My god. There's no where left for me to fall. Nobody comes back from here." She sighed. "And it is so very dark where I am." Her voice broke on the last part.

The Doctor took in her outburst with an unreadable expression. He adjusted his bow tie and walked to the console quietly. Began the dematerialization sequence. He saw her sink into one of the jump seats out of the corner of his eye, drained.

"A black hole is the result of a major cosmic event." he said suddenly, startling her. "Like a star death or a stellar collision. Black holes are fascinating because they contain nothing yet are so dense that even light cannot escape. Time itself bends within the Event Horizon, seems to stand still. "

He turned to face her, leaning against the console.

"A black hole will annihilate most anything. Its gravitational pull irreversible, its effects permanent and devastating."

She shifted in the seat, listening to his words.

"Yet. There are some who've learned to harness the power of the black hole. You see, they saw potential in the ruination." He looked into her stormy eyes. "And for those people, the black hole is nothing more than a doorway to another universe, another life, another outcome."

Dayle was quiet then, her self pity suddenly vanquished. She needed so badly to believe that she was one of those people.


	13. Chapter 13

The TARDIS rematerialized in the very same corner it had the first time. Dayle emerged first, still inside her own head as she stepped from the large control room into her small motel room.

The dreary backdrop of room 10 at the Kirkmore Rest Well Motel was contrast enough to snap her out of it.

"Well, this has been the most insane 24 hours of my life." she laughed, rubbing her eyes. She felt like she'd been awake for days.

The Doctor stepped out smiling. "It has been quite a day for you. You reached into a parallel universe like one of those carnival claw machines and pulled out a Time Lord. Doesn't exactly happen every day."

He surveyed the room, walking first to the window and pulling the heavy curtain back and forth. When he tired of that, he walked to the small outer bathroom area and examined the wall mounted hair dryer.

Dayle collapsed onto the bed. She heard the hair dryer turn on. Turn off. Turn on again.

"CAN YOU NOT?" she shouted with humor in her voice. She chuckled. "It's almost like you're an alien or something" she joked.

The Doctor finally settled into the peach upholstered chair. They sat in awkward silence for a few seconds. The Doctor fidgeted. Dayle started feeling a bit ill-at-ease lounging on the bed with a strange man in the room. She sat up quickly, adjusted her skirt, crossed her legs.

"So..." the Doctor finally began earnestly. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I don't know." she admitted after a beat. "Are you?"

His expression turned puzzled. "Me? Of course I'm alright. I'm always alright." he said dismissively.

"Doctor," Dayle paused, choosing her words. "You are haunted."

That one clearly caught him off guard. He started to protest but Dayle interrupted.

"Claircognizant, remember?" she pointed at herself with a small smile.

When he didn't reply, she continued. "When you hugged me, when you held my hand, the psychic bond was still very strong. I saw a lot. And I saw into your heart."

"Hearts." the Doctor murmured, clearly uncomfortable.

"Doctor, I've seen some of your adventures through your eyes. I saw a ton of friends, companions. I felt a brilliant mind. But you may well be the most troubled person I've ever met... and that's coming from a girl who currently lives in a motel room and will likely have leftover grilled cheese for breakfast."

The Doctor smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "And what else did you see there, eh?" he asked, softly, almost coldly.

Dayle wasn't about to let his harshness deter her. She needed to tell him something. Needed him to understand.

"I saw regret and guilt. I saw a war..."

"I'm not even remotely interested in discussing that with you." he snapped. His jaw was set. His eyes darker than she'd ever seen them.

"Doctor, I don't need to hear about any of it." she said, getting angry herself now. "You don't have to talk it out with me. You don't need to tell me how you fucking feel. You don't have discuss it at all because I saw it. I felt it." Her eyes bore into him, unrelenting.

"And the point of all this?" he asked, crossing his arms, closing himself off.

"You are good." She said simply.

He had been poised to argue but appeared caught off guard by her statement. "What?"

"You asked me what I saw there. In your heart, well hearts I guess. Freakin weirdo." (she muttered that last bit under her breath). "And it doesn't matter how cold you try to act, how angry you get, _I_ know the truth. And the truth is, you are one of the good guys." She smiled sadly. "And I'm not sure I've ever even met a good guy."

The Doctor eyes instantly softened, his whole demeanor relaxed. "It's not that simple..." he began gently.

"Oh I'm afraid it actually is. You are kind and humble and heroic. You use your intelligence to solve problems instead of violence. You are selfless. And you take care of others." She paused and watched him, wondering if she was getting through at all. His eyes were closed. And she thought she saw a tear.

"I have let many people down," he said softly. "People have gotten hurt and many have died because of me."

Dayle considered this. "You have made mistakes. I didn't say you were perfect. But I do know your motives are pure. And that you you've gotten it right far more often than not."

She smiled at him then, her dimples showing, her eyes smiling as well. "You are good Doctor. And if I can believe that I'm able to escape that black hole, then the least you can do is trust me on this."

His eyes met hers then. She saw gratitude there. And she felt the butterflies at it again.

He hopped up. "Now then. I'm afraid I need to do a little more investigating, figuring out what this Tregannon fellow is up to..."

Her heart sank a bit, at the thought of him leaving.

"...but I was wondering if you'd be ok with me popping back in to visit." he continued, helping her to her feet. She quite liked the sound of that. And she hoped that the next time he saw her, she'd be stronger, and doing better.

He put his arm around her as they walked back to the TARDIS. At the door he took both her hands in his, looked down somewhat bashfully. "Thank you Dayle. Thank you for helping me. And thank you for saying what you said."

Dayle looked at him, smirking slightly. "So... are you still able to read my thoughts, my feelings?" she asked.

His eyes traveled up, as if he was looking into his brain. "No, not really. If I touched your temples, I likely could though."

She stepped closer to him, into his personal space. "I can still read you though." He became evidently flustered, stumbled backwards until he was trapped against the TARDIS. She followed.

"A-a-and what precisely do you think you've read?" he stammered.

 _Fortune favors the bold_ she thought to herself as she grabbed him by his bow tie, stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips firmly against his. He flailed a bit at first, but then his hands eventually settled on her shoulders. Then they slid down her back. He ended up with one hand at her lower back, the other barely skimming her hip.

She could feel what had started as panic and turmoil in him turn slowly into curiosity, then all at once, into desire. She broke away, breathless just as he was starting to really reciprocate.

It hadn't been a very deep kiss, rather G rated actually. But it was scorching hot just the same. It was almost more than she could handle.

She fanned herself a bit. Damn.

He just looked at her, his eyes wide.

She smiled, then whispered the answer to his question softly in his ear, "You felt the butterflies too."

She backed up and gave him room to board his ship. "Good bye Doctor. I hope to see you soon."

He was attempting to regain some semblance of composure. It was not working for him.

"Yes, well then. Er, good bye Dayle." he leaned awkwardly against the door, not knowing what to do with his hands, where to look. After an extended awkward silence he simply took shelter in the TARDIS and the doors closed.

Dayle laughed. She waited for the TARDIS to dematerialize. A moment passed.

Suddenly, the Doctor popped back out of the door, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Dayle... you said you dreamed about the explosion. But you never did tell me how you figured out that I was in a parallel universe. Or that I was trapped and needed your help."

"Uhhh..." Dayle was uncertain how much she should reveal. "Spoilers?" she offered.

The Doctor seemed almost startled at the word. He gave her a little side eye. "Riiiiight." he said, clearly still wanting to know more. He turned and reentered the TARDIS uncertainly.

* * *

The Doctor had piloted his ship into the time vortex, his mind troubled by Dayle's last word to him.

He leaned against the console, ruminating. River? How would River know anything about the parallel universe? It didn't really make sense. And spoilers referred to the future. If she'd known something from the future, his future, River knew better than to interfere with events. She understood the consequences.

It was almost as if River had tipped Dayle off about him being trapped, or at least pushed her in that direction, and then vanished. But why?

The Doctor rubbed his face, growing more puzzled by the moment. He had another thought. If River _had_ somehow become involved with Dayle, and known about the telepathy, the first thing she would have done was scan for alien tech. That means she would have immediately known about the Focusing Amplifier. It seems if she were trying to help Dayle, she might have pointed out its significance. And no way would she have left Dayle on her own with the Tregannon involved.

And that was the other thing... why the hell didn't the Tregannon make his move? The Doctor wasn't sure how exactly time ran in the other universe, relative to his own but surely there had been sufficient time to invade Earth? Had he been wrong about their motives?

He grumbled in frustration. "I need more information." His jaw set, he activated the fast return switch to take him back to the motel. Dayle needed to answer some important questions. Something was off about all this.

If he hadn't been so flustered from the...er... thing that occurred, he might have questioned her further.

The TARDIS finished materializing and he stepped back out into the room.

It was completely dark. She must have fallen asleep.

He tiptoed to the bed to take a look. He squinted. Saw no one there. He gingerly reached out to where she should have been laying and touched only bedspread. He flipped the lamp on, confused. The bed was made. And was that even the same bedspread that had been there before?

He looked around. The room was vacant. And looked quite a bit different. A new floor lamp. A green curtain and matching green chair. A more modern looking television.

He reboarded the TARDIS. "Is there something wrong with this fast return switch now!?" he asked grumpily. "Am I in the wrong room?" He tapped a few keys and consulted the scanner.

"Rest Well Motel Kirkmore, OH. Room 10." he read. He looked around the control room accusingly. "What did you do?"

He executed a quick spatial jump and exited the TARDIS in an alley behind a bakery. The moment he stepped out he froze.

His time sense had finally caught up with him.

He was definitely in the right town. But three years had passed.


	14. Chapter 14

"Ember honey, you are definitely going to miss your bus!" Dayle was putting the finishing touches on her make up. She checked her phone for the time. "VANNAH!" she shouted.

"Already on it mom." Dayle heard her older daughter herding her younger daughter out to the bus stop. "Move it Tweedle Dee!"

Ember giggled and hollered "Love you mom!" and the screen door slammed.

Dayle flinched at the sound of the screen door but smiled despite herself. If she had learned nothing in this life, she had learned that it's the little moments with your kids that are worth more than anything. She would never take for granted hearing her baby girl say she loved her. She'd lost so much time with her.

The door opened again and Savannah ran down the hall to the bathroom and peeked in on her mother.

"Hey. What time are your classes over tomorrow? Gonna need the car."

Dayle finished her face with a shiny beige lipstick. She pressed her lips together, trying to summon up her schedule.

"I'll be done at 7:30. So I could have the car back here to you around 8." Dayle flicked the light off in the bathroom and gathered her purse and car keys from the dining room table.

"What do you need the car for on a Thursday night any way?" Dayle wondered.

"Well mother darling, unlike you, I am not living convent style. I have a date. With Tony. His car is acting up again."

Dayle smacked Savannah on her butt. "Be nice to your mama or you and Tony are going to be taking the bus on your lovely date."

"Just sayin. You're not getting any younger..." she joked, then ducked into her bedroom for safety and slammed the door.

"Asshole". Dayle called, laughingly.

She exited her small rental house on North Tresser and headed for her four month old Nissan Versa in the driveway. She was definitely still in the honeymoon phase with it. It was a base model and it had a manual transmission but the payments were affordable and it was her first new car.

Dayle was currently assistant manager of the Marshall Brothers grocery store on the West side of town. She had stuck with Waffle House for six more months before getting a job as a cashier at Marshall Bros. The hours were more regular and the pay was better. She had made assistant manager in less than a year. That had been quite a proud moment for her.

There had been many proud moments for Dayle over the last few years. When her girls came home to live with her. Their first Christmas together again when she had presents under the tree for them. The look in Savannah's eyes when she'd attended her mother's 1 year milestone meeting at Narcotics Anonymous. When she'd gotten the house, her first actual house. And when she'd been accepted into the nursing program at Central Ohio Technical College.

She still had two semesters to go to finish her Associate's Degree in Nursing but she was doing pretty well and she was determined.

NA talked a lot about a higher power. Many of her friends there and even her sponsor were devoutly religious. There was a lot of praying and thanking God for their sobriety. A lot of quoting the bible. Dayle didn't believe in any of that, but she always remembered the Doctor's words to her that night three years ago.

" _You know you don't have to make decisions based on who you've been. You can do whatever you want to do. Be who you want to be."_

She'd written it on a piece of paper and taped it to the mirror over her dresser. She had, in a way, written it on her heart.

No, there was no higher power to credit with her turning her life around. She had done it herself. But she had the Doctor to thank for making her believe there was a way out of that black hole.

She turned down Main street and then moments later slammed on her brakes. Had she just seen...? She looked in her rearview mirror and saw no vehicles behind her so she threw her Nissan into reverse until she was even with the alley she had just passed.

There was no mistaking it. The TARDIS was parked there near the back of the bakery.

"Doctor."

She swung around and parked at the curb, got out and quickly walked toward the blue box, feeling mixed emotions.

She paused at the door. Was he even here to see her? God, would he even remember her? It'd been three years ago since he'd climbed in his TARDIS and dematerialized out of her life. He must have seen so much since then. Met so many other people.

Finally she just knocked. She'd never know if she didn't check it out.

The door opened almost instantly. The Doctor stood there with a big smile looking her over.

"Dayle Moss. You look positively radiant, don't you?"

She blushed. She was in the best shape of her life. Eating healthier and jogging in the evenings with Savannah had done wonders for her complexion, not to mention her waistline. She had looked pretty good three years ago, now she was a downright babe. Or so Savannah often insisted.

"And you look exactly the same." She followed him inside to the impressive control room that she'd half convinced herself had all been a dream.

"Actually" he began sheepishly. "There's a very good reason for that. You see, I left you and after a bit of thinking, I decided to come straight back to your room to ask you some important questions and it seems..." He fidgeted. "Well...I'm a bit late."

"Wait, do you mean to tell me, that for you, you JUST NOW left me in that motel room?"

"Well, yes." The Doctor said simply.

"And that you meant to come right back but you ended up here three years later instead?"

"Mmm, just about sums it up..."

She cracked up laughing. "Time Lord my ass."

He pouted a bit until the laughter subsided.

She looked at him, bursting to tell him about how her life had improved, how she'd somehow turned it all around. About her new universe.

"It's so friggin good to see you!" She hugged him impulsively. Considering how touchy-feely he'd been with her previously, he responded somewhat awkwardly, patting her with his arms around her loosely.

She pulled away and looked at him slyly. "I'd be offended but I see you haven't quite gotten over the kiss yet." she chuckled and sat in the jump seat.

He blushed furiously, clearly annoyed that he could hide nothing from her. "Shut up."

She smiled innocently.

"So what did you want to ask me?" She glanced at her phone. "I should probably call the shift supervisor and let him know I'll be running late."

* * *

The Doctor was very concerned.

After some coaxing, and being reassured that the knowledge wouldn't have any adverse consequences for him, Dayle had filled him in on all that had led up to her first deliberate psychic communication with him. River showing up at an NA meeting, then the library. The call number and the book on parallel universes. ("Brilliant man," he'd commented on the book, "but doesn't know a thing about parallel universes.")

Every part of the story only created more questions in his mind. How had River found Dayle? How had she known she'd be attending an early NA meeting she'd never before attended? How had she tracked her down at the motel in a completely different town? Had she scanned for alien tech? But if so, how did she know about said alien tech?

And how had she known about Dayle anyway!? River being the cause of Dayle rescuing him wasn't possible if he later was the one to inform her of the fact. It was a bootstrap paradox. And anyway, he very much doubted he would have told River about Dayle under any circumstances. She did get ever so jealous.

But the worst part came when Dayle relayed River's story about the archaeological dig on the planet Monitum and being nearby during the neutron star collision. And intercepting his radio call. And knowing he'd survived because of some transmitter. Because it was absolute rubbish. All of it.

He sighed and sat down with his face in his hands.

When he didn't say anything after a while, Dayle shouted, "Hey! Time Traveling Alien. You mind filling the Earth Girl in on what's going on? You're actually scaring me a little."

He looked up at her and explained. "The planet Monitum isn't even in the Malum star system. And even if it was, nobody on any planet in that star system would have survived the effects of that explosion because the planet would have been completely obliterated. And the comm system in the TARDIS isn't some walkie talkie. It's advanced Time Lord technology and it's 100% secure. You can't just accidentally intercept a communication from the TARDIS. It's all lies. Every bit of it." He stood up, rubbed his chin. "Dayle, would you be able to recognize this woman if you saw a picture of her?"

Dayle seemed to consider that. "Well, I mean it's been three years but that was a pretty memorable week for me. And she was an unusual chick. Sure. Let me see the picture."

He pulled a picture of River up on the scanner. Dayle began nodding immediately.

"One hundred and ten percent. That is the same woman."

"Well, tell me about her. What was she like? Did anything stand out to you?"

"Uh, aside from the stalking and the disappearing from my motel room suddenly..." But Dayle did remember something else. He could see it written all over her face.

"Go on." he encouraged. "What is it?"

"Well, it's just that... See I've thought about it a lot over the years. That initial encounter at the meeting. When she was grilling me for information. I had a very bad feeling about her. And for me, you know that means something. I couldn't get away from her fast enough. When I met up with Savannah at the library I just kept telling her how creepy she was. And then later in my motel room, she was very kind to me and comforting. But when she touched me, it was like a layer of sincerity on top of something else. Something... false. Off. There were good things coming through too, but there was a contradiction there. And a lot of darkness. The darkness definitely overwhelmed the good stuff."

The Doctor was looking at her with growing alarm.

"I mean my thing, my abilities aren't an exact science." she rushed to assure him. "It's possible I was wrong about that stuff."

He ran his hand down his face. From his own experience, he had full faith in Dayle's abilities to read people, unerringly.

He was very much afraid that whoever had come to Dayle had been River, but not really River at all. He was starting to get a very bad feeling. Because the only person or being who could have known about the black hole was the person or being who put him there in the first place. And if they had put him there, why would they be so quick for Dayle to pull him back out? It just wasn't adding up.

"Dayle, did she give you anything? Do you have anything at all from that day that she might have touched?"

"Well, yeah. The envelope."

His eyes widened excitedly. "Brilliant! Take me to it."


	15. Chapter 15

Since Savannah wouldn't be leaving for her clerk job at the library until after 8:30, Dayle decided they should probably take the Nissan.

"Bringing a dude home will cause questions enough. I think arriving in a time machine might be a bit more than I can explain."

The Doctor was not pleased. "Riding in a 21st century Earth car." He grumbled, settling into the passenger seat awkwardly. "It can't even fly. Or hover." He looked around the interior a bit. His expression became perplexed. "It doesn't even have power windows or door locks for pity's sake! What are you, Amish?"

Dayle snickered and put on her sunglasses. "Buckle up there big boy."

She threw the car into gear and started her CD player. Eminem blasted from the speakers.

The Doctor sat grumpily for a minute, taking in the music.

"Well at least I know where you get that dirty mouth of yours from." he muttered.

They pulled into the driveway of Dayle's small white house and she pulled up the emergency brake, cut the ignition.

She remained motionless. Took a deep breath. The Doctor fidgeted, waiting for her to make a move.

"What exactly are we waiting for?" He whispered after a while.

"It's just, my daughter. She is going to give me so much shit about this." she gestured between herself and the Doctor. "I never talk to men anymore. She has been dying to get me dating again, thinks I'm ready to find Mr. Right. This isn't going to be cute." She sighed heavily. "Ok, let's go."

The Doctor shrugged and followed her inside.

They entered through the side door into the kitchen. Savannah was at the table having her coffee and cereal, reading a novel. Her hair was wet from the shower and she was wearing her glasses. She looked up when they came through the door, confusion in her eyes.

"Hey mom. What are you doing back here?" Then she spotted the Doctor and her eyes went big for a second. "And _who_ is your friend, here?"

"Vannah..." Dayle warned.

Savannah was grinning, sitting back now with her arms crossed, awaiting explanation.

Before Dayle could speak a word, the Doctor rushed forward, hand extended.

"Savannah, is it? So wonderful to meet you. My name is the Doctor and I am your mother's man friend." He shook the girl's hand enthusiastically. Savannah looked amused.

Dayle's eyes bugged out of her head. She slowly lowered her face to her palm and shook her head imperceptibly. _Doctor, no_.

"I'm sorry, Doctor? Did you say your name was Doctor?" Savannah looked from the Doctor to Dayle and back again.

"Th-th-this is Doctor... uh..." Dayle struggled.

"Smith". The Doctor supplied quickly. "Doctor John Smith." He pointed at Dayle happily. "And I'm her man friend."

Savannah gave Dayle a mischievous look. "Your _man friend,_ huh? Really? And where did you two meet?"

Before the Doctor could jovially inform her daughter that they'd met in a motel room, Dayle acted quickly and grabbed him by the arm and yanked.

"Can I have a word?" Dayle whispered fiercely. She continued towing him down the hallway.

"Lover's quarrel. So sad." Savannah called after them before returning to her book.

Dayle shoved the Doctor into the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Dayle shrieked.

He blinked and looked afraid to reply.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, striving for patience.

"Ok. I'm just going to assume you don't know how to behave like a human so let me give you a little tip. Don't ever use the words "man friend" again. It's incredibly creepy!"

The Doctor squinted a bit. "But Dayle. I'm fairly certain Savannah can tell I'm not your woman friend."

Dayle sighed and counted to ten.

"Let's just go look for that envelope. If she asks anything else, I'm telling her you're my professor at the college. You teach science and I ran into you at the bakery getting coffee and offered to loan you one of my books on Quantum Physics."

The Doctor considered this. "That's an incredibly detailed lie Dayle. I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable having a woman friend who lies so easily." He gave her a judgmental look and strode out of the bathroom.

Dayle gestured helplessly and followed.

They went to Dayle's bedroom and closed the door. The Doctor began inspecting everything while Dayle dug into her memento box under her bed.

"Looks like somebody got a new hobby. You weren't joking about the books on Quantum Physics." The Doctor sounded impressed. Dayle had a tall book shelf on one wall laden with books. One entire shelf was nothing but books about astronomy, space and physics.

Dayle looked up from her treasure hunt and smiled.

"Well, something must have sparked an interest in me." She returned to her task.

The Doctor sat down on the edge of her bed while she hunted underneath.

"It's a very comfy bed." he commented, bouncing on the mattress a bit. He laid back, his arms behind his head.

"Found it!" Dayle declared proudly, holding the envelope up. She looked up and noticed the Doctor lounging on her bed.

"That's going to look just great if Vannah comes back here. My college professor testing out my mattress." she laughed. She set the envelope down and jumped up on the bed. She tried to yank him back to sitting but he smilingly held his position. Eyes closed.

"Are Time Lords ticklish?" Dayle wondered out loud.

The Doctor's eyes flew open. "You wouldn't." He tried to sit up but was too late. Dayle tickled his ribs. He completely lost it, rolling away helplessly, trying to protect himself.

Dayle giggled. He had to be the most ticklish guy she'd ever met. She dug into his side and he cracked up. He grabbed her by both arms trying to stop the attack. She landed on top of him laughing.

Savannah chose that exact moment to enter her mom's room.

Dayle was laying all the way on the top of the Doctor, his hands gripping her wrists, their faces inches away from each other.

"Shit." Dayle muttered.

Savannah's eyes went wide. "Oh jeez! Mom!"

"I'm her college professor and I'm just borrowing a book on Quantum Physics." The Doctor told Savannah calmly, still trapped beneath her mother.

Savannah just backed out of the room and closed the door quietly.

Dayle untangled herself from him and sat up, fixing her hair. She blew out a sigh.

He looked up at her. "Do you think she bought it?"

* * *

The Doctor examined the envelope and its contents. There was a picture of him along with a yellowed note. He turned the items over in his hands curiously.

They were now sitting at her kitchen table. Savannah had left for work. She had apparently not believed him about being a college professor because she had sent Dayle a text that made her blush. She'd refused to tell him what it said.

He finally pulled his Sonic Screwdriver from his jacket pocket and scanned the note with it.

Dayle sounded impressed. "Hey, what's that thing?"

The Doctor read the results of the scan. Just as he had feared. But the conclusion only made things more confusing. He rubbed his eyes wearily.

"What is it Doctor?" Dayle insisted, pointing at the Sonic.

"Its a Sonic Screwdriver. It's also handy for scanning objects to gather information."

"Well, don't leave me in suspense. What did you find out?"

"The person you met, the creature was something called a Zygon. They are a shape shifting species that can actually mimic the looks, the voice and personality traits of other beings. It's called a body print. Unfortunately, sometimes that means the person being copied is being held captive in a sort of bio-technical pod."

"Sometimes!?" Dayle exclaimed, sounding concerned. "Does that mean the real River is in danger?"

"Well, they have other ways of creating a duplicate but the most accurate process involves a live captive original." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to find out what's happened to River. Immediately. And I have to figure out what a Zygon is doing with Tregannon technology. That sounds like the worst possible combination." He thought for a moment. "Except maybe if it were a Dalek with Sontaran technology. Or a Cyberman with Vashta Narada tendencies... or a-"

"Doctor!" Dayle shook him a bit. "I get it. Bad combination. Let's not sit here. Let's go find her!"

The Doctor looked at her. Smiled sadly. "It's going to be terribly dangerous Dayle. I think maybe you should hang back here and I can come fill you in after."

Dayle was already up, sunglasses on. "Uh yeah, five years later maybe. Stuff that. This involves me too dammit." She was looking at him now sternly. "I didn't ask to be brought into all this. Remember? Apparently some shape shifting alien decided to use my abilities for its own gains. And I'm not real fuckin pleased."

The Doctor nodded. "You're right. You are involved." he admitted begrudgingly. "But I expect you to do as your told! It's the only way you'll stay safe. And don't wander off!"

Dayle raised her shades and cocked an eyebrow at him. "I do so love a forceful man."

The Doctor felt his hearts do a thing and felt those blasted butterflies that Dayle had been right about when they'd last met.

This... preoccupation he had with Dayle, whatever it was, was not helping matters. In fact it was making them downright complicated. He sighed.

"Let's get back to the TARDIS."


	16. Chapter 16

Once they were back onboard the TARDIS, the Doctor ducked down and looked beneath the control column for something.

"Good. The River Switch is still there. Hopefully I have better luck with it this time." He looked grim.

Dayle was a bit nervous now. Shape shifting aliens with creepy Invasion of the Body Snatcher pods. She shivered.

"Dayle." The Doctor was suddenly standing right in front of her. "If you're having second thoughts..."

She steeled herself. She'd already been to hell and back. She would survive this too. She looked him dead in his eye bravely. "Let's go."

The Doctor broke into a smile and flipped the "River Switch".

The TARDIS stuttered a bit but then went through the standard dematerialization/rematerialization pattern. When she rumbled to a stop they shared a look.

The Doctor consulted the scanner and pointed to the screen.

"Looks like we may have wound up outdoors for once. Looks like some sort of lake shore, but it's pretty dark to be certain. And unless I'm mistaken it appears that we've landed on the planet Aditum. Perfectly breathable atmosphere and the natives are mostly friendly."

Dayle gulped. "We are actually on another planet right now?"

He opened the doors with a snap of his finger. "Shall we?" He smiled and gestured toward the door.

"Show off." Dayle muttered and she led the way out onto the dark lakeshore.

"Don't act like you're not impressed." He was clearly enjoying himself. She suspected this was his favorite part about traveling with companions. Seeing all the amazing things the universe has to offer through fresh eyes. She smiled. It was so damn charming.

The Doctor took her hand and they edged toward what looked like a jungle area. Who knew what was out there in the trees but they were too exposed standing around in the middle of the beach.

"Hey look!" she whispered. "There's a little hut with a light on across the lake. Do you suppose they could have River over there?"

Before he could say a word, Dayle's telepathy picked up something he had not said.. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment. She shook her hand free from his. "Your _wife_?"

The Doctor froze. "Oh, s-s-o River didn't, I mean Zygon River didn't mention that?"

She was furious with him. "River is seriously your WIFE? You're fucking married?" She strode off angrily in front of him, bashing through the trees, headed to the spot they'd seen across the lake.

The Doctor was close behind. "Dayle, listen. It's a bit more complicated than that... see, it's not like husband-wife like you're thinking. I mean, our wedding took place in an aborted timeline a-a-and I wasn't even me. At the time I was actually miniaturized by a compression field inside an android that happened to look like me!"

Dayle stopped short and turned around. "Boy if I had a nickel for every time I heard that one!" she spat. Then she turned and continued her rampage through the brush.

"Dayle, if you're going to be angry, could you maybe be a bit quieter about it. I'm afraid you might be drawing quite a lot of attention to us." he shambled along after her, looking back uncertainly.

She didn't reply but she did at least cool it with the thrashing. She didn't want to be eaten by some alien bog creature just because she had a knack for getting attached to married men. Christ. He could have SAID something. Did he really just think she would have kissed him like that if she knew he was married? That she would flirt so openly? Of course, looking at her past behavior, he would be forgiven for thinking that. But still...

"Dayle!" The Doctor whispered suddenly. "Get down!" Dayle felt adrenaline shoot through her veins and she did as she was told. The Doctor crawled over to her hiding spot behind a bush with huge leaves.

They both peered over. They'd made it to the opposite shoreline. And they saw something large emerging from the water. It was too dark to make out what type of creature it was.

"So what does a Zygon look like exactly?" She whispered, definitely frightened now. "I mean, does it even have its own distinct shape?"

"Big red rubbery thing covered in suckers." He answered absentmindedly.

"Ewwww. Seriously? I had one of those things in my motel room with me?"

"Dayle, I don't think that's a Zygon." the Doctor squinted. He eased out from behind the bush and still ducking he quietly made his way to the very edge of the jungle to get a better look. Dayle followed reluctantly.

The big creature was almost entirely out of the water now and it was...

Dayle gasped. "Wait a minute. Is he... naked? Is that his... business that I'm seeing right now...?"

The Doctor looked like he was ready to crawl under a rock.

"Yes Dayle. Upon closer examination, that creature appears to be distinctly humanoid and distinctly unclothed at the moment."

"Man, he's a big one, isn't he?" The Doctor's head jerked toward her. He looked shocked and slightly offended.

"No!" she giggled. "I mean he's a big guy. Like super muscular and tall."

The Doctor seemed appeased by her explanation.

"Although..." she murmured as she stood up a bit for a better look.

The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her back down.

"Would you just behave!?" he said through gritted teeth. "Now, we have no idea what he's up to or if he has bad intentions."

"Ohhh." Dayle said suddenly, understanding. "He definitely has bad intentions Doctor." She giggled again.

"What do you mean? What is he doing?"

"Looks like Captain Jumbo there isn't alone." She pointed to the hut. A woman with a sensational figure had emerged stark naked and the muscular gentleman was headed right for her.

"Uh oh." The Doctor said, sinking back down to the floor of the jungle. He covered his eyes.

"What uh oh?" Dayle asked him anxiously.

When he didn't answer right away, Dayle peered back through the foliage.

"Oh. _Oh_. She's very flexible. And he... OH MY GOD."

"Dayle." The Doctor said flatly.

"What is it?" she replied, not taking her eyes away from the spectacle. She could do with some popcorn right about now.

"Dayle." he repeated, a bit more forcefully.

"What!?" she finally sat down and faced him.

"Dayle Moss, allow me to introduce my wife, River Song."

Dayle's eyes were like saucers. "Ohhhhhh snap!" She snorted.

* * *

River had joined them on the TARDIS and Dayle had quickly made herself scarce. She said she wanted to check out the Doctor's library. He pointed her in the right direction so she wouldn't get lost in the corridors.

"I am SO sorry." he apologized to River for the hundredth time. "When I found out that you'd been body printed by a Zygon, I just jumped into rescue mode." He gestured to the ceiling of the control room. "See, I KNEW the River Switch was a bad idea!"

River was unfazed. She laughed and sat in one of the jumpseats.

"A bit late to come to my rescue Sweetie. That was three years ago. My friend Heskel came and helped me out of that particular jam. God knows he owed me one. I was only out of commission for a day. It was just the one rogue Zygon." River scoffed as if it had merely been a nuisance for her. "Had he brought along any of his friends it might have been a different story. But, here we are." She grinned. "So tell me, what did my Zygon counterpart get up to?"

The Doctor filled her in on all that had gone down.

"And this woman you're traveling with, she's the psychic who was able to pull you out of a parallel world?" River raised an eyebrow. "I'm not easily impressed and I'm impressed."

The Doctor kept his face noncommittal. "Yes, Dayle is a very strong woman."

River didn't miss a trick. "Oh. Sweetie. Do you have a bit of a crush on your new companion? You do, don't you?" She leaned forward, clearly interested. "And is the feeling mutual?"

He definitely did not feel comfortable discussing this with her.

"Anyway" he inserted, changing the subject. "Do you have any ideas on what this rogue Zygon might have been up to? Any insights? Because I'm afraid there's more to all this than meets the eye."

"I do have a little information on the cockroach's identity. What we managed to cull from the portable bio computer on his ship. He was apparently a criminal who had escaped imprisonment and was on the run. His name was Arc. The ship he kept me on was even stolen. A Tregannon vessel I believe. The thieving bastard made off with my vortex manipulator as well."

"A fugitive Zygon. That's wonderful. Well what could he possibly be playing at, messing with Tregannon technology, telepathy and parallel worlds?"

"Well Doctor. You might want to ask yourself. What exactly might be accomplished by throwing someone into a parallel universe through a black hole portal, then pulling them back through the same way?"

The Doctor's eyes went wide. "A wormhole! He was trying to create a wormhole. Oh dear. He was trying to find a way to a parallel universe himself. To escape. And that means... Oh NO!"

"What is it?" River stood, now concerned.

"Dayle B." His hand went to his head where he'd been injured in the explosion. "I've most definitely brought all this to her side of the street now."

The Doctor began pacing. "I need to go take a look at that black hole and get some readings on it. See if a wormhole was really created."

"What are you going to do? Go _back_ into the parallel universe? That's an incredibly stupid idea."

"River, if I've brought down an invasion onto that other version of Earth, it's my responsibility to correct things. I have a friend there who helped me when I needed it most. I can't let her down."

River looked at him fondly. "Of all your faults, it's your loyalty to your friends that gets you into the most trouble." She sighed. "Well. I must be getting back to Trovar out there. I'd say I'm sorry you had to find me like this. But from the looks of it, you have other things on your mind anyway." River smirked and tipped her head in the direction of the corridor.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Yes well. Don't keep your friend waiting." He wasn't upset with River and he was quite glad she was alright but he definitely could have done without the visual he's been treated to tonight. And he really didn't want to discuss Dayle with her. The situation was like mixing a vat of awkward with a barrel full of uncomfortable. He was ready for the horror to end.

"Do be careful Sweetie. And keep in touch. You and I must go on an adventure together soon." She smiled saucily and exited the TARDIS.

The Doctor breathed out a sigh of relief and headed for the corridor.

"Dayle!" he called down the hall. "How do you feel about possibly meeting the other you?"


	17. Chapter 17

"So, a wormhole?" Dayle asked. "Pretty sure I remember reading something about those. Though as I remember it, it was mostly only in theory and mostly only in relation to time travel."

They were back in the Malum star system now, hovering near the Event Horizon of the Doctor's black hole. The TARDIS had confirmed it. His roundtrip travel through the black hole's portal had created a backdoor to the other universe. He was certain that the Zygon, Arc had used it to make his escape from this universe. Three years had passed. There's no telling what kind of trouble he'd been causing.

"Well Dayle, that's because humans don't know very much about the fabric of space time. So they make things up and call them 'theories'. Wormholes are like little tunnels that connect different parts of space and on occasion, they connect different universes. They are entirely separate from the time vortex."

They were both leaning against the console.

"So..." Dayle began. "If I were to come with you, would you be able to guarantee me that you wouldn't be bringing me back home later to find my kids three years older?"

The Doctor looked down at the console, silent for a moment. "Are you sure you still want to come with me? You sounded pretty cross with me back on Aditum." He looked up again and gazed at her with an inscrutable expression.

Dayle sighed, embarassed.. "I'm sorry for acting like a lunatic. It just took me by surprise is all. I mean, it's definitely none of my business. It's not like... you and I are an item or anything." she laughed a little too quickly. "And you are right. You certainly don't appear to have the traditional marriage." She pulled a face, remembering, then studied him carefully. "Are you alright? Did what happen... with River I mean, upset you?" She looked up at him, her blue eyes sincere.

The Doctor was speechless, clearly surprised that despite herself, she was worried about his feelings. It seemed to do something to him. He stepped close to Dayle and took her hands, placing them on his hearts. "You tell me."

She stood nearly toe to toe with him, her hands pressed against his chest. It was strange to feel both hearts beating away like that.

"You have very mixed feelings about River." she said quietly. "You feel protective of her, you care for her greatly. But she troubles you greatly also."

The Doctor was looking right at her now. She boldly took a step closer. Now she was practically leaning against his chest, like they were dancing. She looked up.

"And how do I feel about you?" he asked then, sounding like he genuinely didn't know and needed an answer.

Dayle's heart jumped in her chest and she suddenly felt very warm when the answer came to her.

"You're infatuated. And you're confused by it because infatuation isn't a common experience for your kind." She hesitated, blushing. "You don't quite know what to make of it but... you want me."

The Doctor looked a bit unnerved by this. Though he didn't deny it, he did remove her hands and turned back to the console.

"You're also worried about your friend." she said quickly, clearing her throat "We should probably get going."

She was sorry that the moment had ended, that he wasn't quite ready to deal with the answer she'd given to his question. But she still felt warm inside just knowing.

"So, you can bring me back home on the very same day that you got me, right?" she asked him again.

The Doctor turned back toward her."You have my word on that Dayle Moss." he said, his eyes smiling.

"Now. It seems we're going to be entering a parallel universe through a wormhole." He sounded excited at the prospect.

He made a few adjustments to the controls, consulted the screen of his scanner. "Might be a bit of a bumpy ride. Wormholes aren't exactly smoothly paved roads." He rubbed his hands together in his odd little way. "More like cobblestone roads, really. Well, cobblestone roads covered in rocks and sticks. Except in space."

Dayle laughed and buckled herself in to the jumpseat. "I'm ready when you are."

The Doctor took a deep breath and typed something into a keypad. He pressed a green button and turned what looked roughly like a steering wheel. The TARDIS began to move. He was piloting them directly toward the black hole.

Dayle's heart was beating double time. "So, like, you're sure this is just going to be a bumpy ride right? Not like, a smash-us-into-smithereens ride?" She was gripping the arms of her seat in terror.

The Doctor barely seemed to hear her. He was consulting the scanner and making more adjustments.

"Aaaand here we go!" he whooped, pulling down a lever.

The TARDIS began to shudder violently, the engines screeched and wheezed. Some loud bell began to toll ominously from somewhere deep within the ship.

Dayle was not finding this experience even slightly entertaining but the Doctor was having the ride of his life. He was having a hard time staying upright, as he clung to a handle mounted to the console with a white knuckled grip. He was laughing, looking around the control room as he was almost knocked off his feet. The lights flickered and sparks flew out of the center column.

"It'll be alright girl". He reassured his ship. "Steady there, we're almost through!"

"Don't worry about me..." Dayle shouted over the bell and the engines. "I'm just fine."

All at once everything evened out and the TARDIS was completely still. Had they made it?

* * *

The Doctor looked over at Dayle who was looking around blinking.

"Are we ok? Are we through?" She wondered.

He tapped a few keys and consulted the scanner. "Yes, I do believe we are now in what we will call Universe B." He rubbed his hands together, pleased. "Now we need to figure out just where our friend Arc has absconded to. Zygons do love Earth though so I have a feeling that's the place to start."

Dayle had finally unbuckled and stood on slightly shaky legs. "So, let's go find him!"

She was attempting to look cool and unruffled but he could tell all this was a bit much for her. He wanted to go to her and give her a hug. He wanted to reassure her that she'd be fine and hold her hand. But.

He decided that perhaps for the time being, it might be best if they didn't make physical contact. He knew he was on the precipice of falling into uncharted territory with a human and he needed to stay focused on the task at hand. Plus, her awareness of his every feeling for her when they touched was rather unsettling and also an incredibly unfair advantage.

"Well, if the Zygon followed my path into Earth's atmosphere, I suppose we should start where I ended up last time." He shrugged and once again flipped the "River Switch". _Manicure Monday_ , he thought, sadly shaking his head.

"Now, I want to make sure you are prepared to meet the other you. We'll call her Dayle B."

She looked at him like he'd grown another head. "Dayle B? Wait a minute. You gave us labels like we're specimens in some type of experiment?" She looked rather disgusted. But then after a second's thought, she asked. "So that makes me Dayle A, right?"

The Doctor nodded, grinning.

"Well, I guess that's alright then." she said, crossing her arms.

The TARDIS was rematerializing, and he automatically assumed it would be at the end of the hallway of Dayle and Melody's apartment building just as she had last time.

"So, what's the plan?" Dayle asked as they headed out the door.

"Haven't the foggiest" he replied cheerfully.

They stepped directly into someone's living room.

"Uh oh." The Doctor and Dayle said in unison, stopping short.

There was an average looking man in his 40s wearing khakis and a polo shirt sitting on a couch blinking dumbly at them. The television was tuned to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The Doctor had a feeling he knew whose apartment this might be.

He had a lot of experience with three types of human interactions throughout his lives. Chief among them was talking to people who he'd accidentally barged in on. Talking people out of killing him or imprisoning him were the other two.

"Well hello there!" the Doctor said cheerfully.

The man's eyes just got wider as he yelled "Melody! Some British psycho in a bow tie just appeared in your living room!And it looks like he's with your neighbor from down the hall." He sat frozen to the spot, apparently waiting for Melody to come to his rescue.

"Aaron, what on earth do you mean by 'appeared'...?" Melody had emerged from the kitchen carrying two plates of unidentifiable pale yellow glop.

She looked at the Doctor with a mixture of recognition and disbelief. Then she looked at Dayle in confusion. Finally, she noticed the large blue box near the front door to her apartment.

"Oh I see you're back." Melody said distastefully to the Doctor. "Dayle sweetie... is there a particular reason that you've brought that man and that cabinet to _my_ apartment?"

Dayle stammered a bit, clearly at a loss. "Well, I mean. You see... I just kinda..."

The Doctor turned his cheerful grin to Melody. "I was just telling Dayle here how much I would like to thank you while I'm in town for, well helping me the last time I was here."

Melody blinked. "What's with the cabinet bow tie boy?"

Aaron just continued to sit uselessly on the couch, staring at all of them in utter confusion. On the television, Kim had just torn her new dress and Kourtney thought it was hilarious.

"The cabinet... yes, the cabinet, it's a set piece for a... musical I'm starring in. I'm in a sort of traveling theater group and this is my musical theater group cabinet." _Stupid._ He thought he might have actually done better pretending to be an electrician with that old lady.

Dayle had finally found her voice and attempted to rescue the situation. "We are really sorry to bother you Ri...M-Melody. I can see you and A-Aaron here are about to eat your dinner. Looks great! What is it?"

"Gluten free Macaroni and cheese." she answered, still looking mystified. "You will be taking the musical theater group cabinet with you when you go?"

"Oh, absolutely!" the Doctor gave her two enthusiastic thumbs up as Dayle began dragging him quickly toward the TARDIS.

She closed the door behind them and said, "Get us out of here please. There is no possible way to explain our way out of this at this point." She giggled a bit.

The Doctor was disappointed in himself. He'd really need to work on his improv game. He was also terribly disappointed in alternate universe River.. _Gluten Free Mac n Cheese... Keeping Up with the Kardashians?_ He shivered and pulled a lever for a quick spatial jump.


	18. Chapter 18

This time the Doctor made sure to take a look at the scanner before they wandered out of the TARDIS into someone else's living room.

"Outside." Dayle breathed a sigh of relief. "A definite improvement. Where exactly do you think we are?"

The Doctor opened the doors and they edged out warily.

"I'm not certain, but these quick spatial jumps generally remain within about one kilometer."

It appeared to be early evening and they had wound up at the edge of a parking lot near a dumpster.

The Doctor was tinkering with his Sonic Screwdriver. He pressed a button, aiming the device around as it made a rhythmic whirring sound. He then flicked it out to extend it and appeared to examine some results. His eyebrows raised and he tucked it away in his jacket pocket.

"Well, wherever we are, it seems we've come to the right place." He looked grim. "A scan for alien tech leads me to believe that our Zygon fugitive is right here in this very building." He gestured toward the brick building that the lot skirted.

He began walking toward the entrance with Dayle close behind.

"Looks like an apartment building to me." she commented. "Are these the ones you came to last time? The building we were just in?"

"I would assume, yes, this is the same building where Melody and Dayle B live."

Dayle gave him a confused look. "How do you not know?"

"Actually, I was never outside last time. I landed in the hallway and stayed in Dayle B's apartment the rest of the time."

Dayle raised an eyebrow. "How friendly exactly are you with Dayle B?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You know it is possible for a male and female just to be friends." They were now walking into the lobby of the apartment building.

"Thanks for the tip." Dayle said sarcastically. "But, uh. We are kind of the same person. And I happen to know that you like me as a bit more than just a friend." She smirked, waiting for him to argue.

"I can assure you that Dayle B and I are just friends." he grumbled.

They climbed onto the elevator and the doors closed. When the Doctor hadn't made a move after a minute, she cleared her throat. "Soooo... we going somewhere? To meet the other me?"

"I... don't exactly know which floor she lives on." He admitted grumpily. He scratched his head, clearly feeling a bit silly.

" _How_? How are you a time traveling alien with such advanced technology and the ability to traverse black holes into different universes and yet you can't seem to get us to this girl's door?" She was both amused and exasperated.

"Well not everyone is an all knowing oracle like you." He crossed his arms.

Just then, an old woman with a cane got on and pressed the button for the sixth floor. The Doctor perked up and smiled smugly at Dayle. "The sixth floor." he mouthed behind the woman's back, pointing at her happily. Clearly she was someone he recognized.

"So who is your friend here Dayle honey?" the lady asked curiously, peering through her bifocals at the two of them. "Hey. Don't I know you from somewhere?" she asked him.

"He's my... man friend." _Ughh._ "This is my... uh friend John Smith." she narrowed her eyes at him when she saw he was fighting laughter.

"Oh." The lady looked genuinely concerned. "Did something happen between you and Jesse? The last I'd heard, the two of you were engaged."

Dayle went beet red. She was going to really screw up poor Dayle B's reputation if she wasn't careful.

"Actually." The Doctor broke in. "I'm the electrician. And Dayle here needs a bit of help with the breaker box in her apartment. Don't you Dayle?" He looked very pleased with himself. Dayle kind of wanted to kick him in the shin.

The elevator dinged just then and the doors opened onto the sixth floor. Dayle B was standing there with a bag of trash, waiting to climb on. She immediately spotted the Doctor and Dayle A in the elevator and her eyes widened in surprise.

" _Aw fuck."_ Dayle B muttered.

" _Ohhh_ s _hit."_ Dayle A remarked.

" _Dammit._ " the Doctor added.

He then quickly snatched the bifocals off the old lady's face and yelled "YOU'VE A SPIDER ON YOUR GLASSES!".

The old woman shouted in fear and danced around a bit. Dayle B grabbed Dayle A by the hand and yanked her off the elevator.

"Very nice meeting you." The said in unison as Dayle B dragged Dayle A down the hallway to her apartment door, toting the bag of trash along with them.

* * *

Once they were safely inside, the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief and placed the glasses gently back on the old woman's face. "False alarm. It was only a piece of lint." Her eyes were still wide with panic.

The Doctor peered at her guiltily. "I sincerely hope you don't have a heart condition. Or blood pressure condition. Or a clotting disorder. Or incontinence..." He backed away from her down the hall. "Nice to see you again!" He took off after the Dayles.

He knocked gingerly on the apartment door and it was opened immediately. Dayle B glared out at him. "You've brought something bad to my universe haven't you?" She let him in and he saw Dayle A sitting on the couch looking dazed and slightly ill. Dayle B brought her a glass of water and patted her on the head.

The Doctor glanced around and noticed some changes to the place.

"A dining room table!" he shouted approvingly.

Dayle B grinned shyly and presented the ring finger of her left hand. A perfectly respectable diamond solitaire adorned it. "His name is Jesse Campell. He is the director of a daycare and he is absolutely mad about me." she told him proudly.

The Doctor nodded approvingly and joined Dayle A on the sofa, sitting on the end furthest away from her. Dayle B sat in between.

"Ok Doctor. What's the scoop? Why are you two here?"

He replied, "Well, I was right that my being here last time was no accident. But neither was the psychic connection that helped Dayle A here pull me back." He glanced toward said Dayle to see how she was taking all this. She was staring in wonder at Dayle B seemingly oblivious to the conversation taking place.

He continued. "There is an alien creature on the run from his own kind that stole some telepathic technology, and must've discovered in the process that there was a human with a psychic gift, unwittingly in possession of a missing piece of that technology. This alien, Arc knew enough about how that Focusing Amplifier works and how black holes work to formulate his scheme."

Now both Dayles seemed to be paying attention to his explanation.

"His plan, in essence, involved luring me to a star system and using the blast from an impending stellar event to throw me into a black hole, his hopes being- since I'm a Time Lord- I'd wind up in another world, not die. Before doing so, he used the Tregannon technology in his possession to somehow link Dayle A and I with psionic energy. On my end, I immediately began connecting with her telepathically in what I thought were dreams. I saw flashes of what was happening in her life. On her end..." He trailed off and glanced over to the opposite end of the couch..

Dayle A seemed to have found her voice and took up her end of the story. "I saw the entire explosion unfold in a dream. It's a bit fuzzy but I recall that he was attempting to rescue another spaceship, which we now know to have been a hologram. I guess Arc knew that the Doctor couldn't resist helping someone in trouble." She glanced at him fondly. "I saw the explosion and saw that he was injured but then I just forgot about the dream. Until someone paid me a visit."

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Yes, did I mention that our naughty friend Arc happens to be a shape shifter? He has the ability to mimic other creatures. Everything from their looks, to their personalities. He can even tap their memories for information he can use to manipulate others." He nodded for Dayle to continue.

She described Zygon River's appearance in her life and how she persuaded Dayle to make the psychic connection. "She... well, _he_ knew that I had that damn device the whole time. He was wagering that the Doctor could use me as a homing beacon to go back through the way he'd come."

The Doctor picked back up. "In doing so, we created a wormhole, a sort of tunnel between the two worlds. Arc was looking for an escape hatch. He wanted to go somewhere where none of the Zygons could possibly catch up with him. A different universe."

Dayle B had listened intently without comment. Now she piped up. "There are couple things that I don't understand. First, how did this guy know that the explosion was even going to happen in that exact place at that exact time? And why did you guys come back here? Couldn't he have gone _anywhere_ in this universe?"

The Doctor fidgeted. "Yes, well. I am still unclear on how Arc could have possibly predicted that cosmic event but I am working on it. I knew he'd come to earth since it happens to be a Zygon favorite. And I came back here because if he followed the precise trajectory of my TARDIS, this is where he would have ended up." He paused. "And I was right. He is here."

Dayle B's eyes went wide. "What do you mean he's _here?"_

Dayle A piped up. "When we arrived, the Doctor scanned for alien technology. His Sonic Screwdriver indicated something right here in this building." She took the other Dayle's hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

Dayle B blinked. "You mean to tell me that this fucking evil ass shape shifting monster is in this building right now!"

The Doctor tried to reassure her. "No no no. He's not necessarily in this building at this exact moment. But he's been here and been here for a while and likely has his ship somewhere nearby. If I were to guess, he's body printed someone and has settled in to a normal human life."

Dayle B had gone a bit white. "So you're telling me he has been living here. In this building. That he could be someone I _know_?"

All three exchanged a look.

"So what's the plan Doctor?" Both Dayles said in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.

The Doctor put his face in his hand. _Oh dear._


	19. Chapter 19

The Doctor jumped up and clapped his hands together. "First things first. It won't do to have our resident Zygon come across the TARDIS down in the car park. So I'm going to go engage the cloaking field and hide her away. I'll also see what more I can dig up on this fellow Arc in the TARDIS computer. Now, Dayle B, what will you say to Jesse when he comes home and finds two yous here?"

Dayle B replied, "I guess she'll have to make herself scarce before he gets home." Her tone darkened a bit. "But he called earlier to say he'd be late getting in tonight and to go ahead and leave some dinner wrapped up for him." She crossed her arms, clearly bothered by this fact. "It's starting to become a trend with him."

Dayle A stood and stretched. "Well I'm starving. I'd be happy to help you with dinner. Give us a chance to talk while the Doctor goes and does his alien thing." She looked at her counterpart expectantly.

Dayle B seemed to cheer up at this. "Yeah. Sounds great. A little Dayle time."

The Doctor headed down to the parking lot while the Dayles began to prepare dinner.

They worked in silence for a while. Dayle A was definitely more adept in the kitchen. She began chopping an onion while Dayle B started water boiling for pasta.

After a time, Dayle B suddenly asked "So...do you have kids?" She kept her tone casual but Dayle A knew this was a sensitive topic.

She approached it cautiously. "Yes. Two girls. Savannah and Ember."

Dayle B smiled sadly. "Savannah and Ember. Those are beautiful names. How old are they?"

"They're twenty-one and seven. Bit of a gap I know." she laughed awkwardly.

Dayle B stopped stirring the pasta. Leaned against the counter holding the wooden spoon. "Savannah. You had her when you were sixteen." It was a statement, not a question.

Dayle A wiped her hands on a towel and looked at her counterpart with gentle eyes. "Have you ever got to meet her?" She asked softly. "The baby you put up for adoption."

Dayle B shook her head as her eyes began to well up. "I only saw her the day she was born."

"I assume you had her with Jason Silva?" Dayle A asked.

Dayle B rolled her eyes. "That asshole. Hadn't thought of him in years."

"She has his dark hair and brown eyes. Savannah I mean. But she has my nose and smile."

Dayle B closed her eyes and a tear fell.

Dayle A continued. "She is smart and sensitive and strong. She's the strongest person I've ever met. She's had to be. She had a tough childhood. She is also the most loving and forgiving person I've ever met." Dayle A looked her in the eye and said softly. "I bet the child you had, that you wanted a better life for... I bet she'd love to meet you and know you. If I know my Savannah, I'd say she would be very happy to know you."

Dayle B wiped her face with a paper towel and turned off the stove. "I don't know." she said simply. She pulled a couple plates down and pointed to the red wine. They brought their food to the table. Dayle A had grabbed the wine and a couple glasses but she filled hers with water. Dayle B looked curious but didn't question her on it.

"So tell me about being psychic. How does that work?"

Dayle A grinned. "It's not like on TV. I can't see into the future, I've never predicted anything and I don't talk to spirits. I have always just kinda known stuff that I shouldn't know. If I touch someone, I can get a sense of their feelings and thoughts and I will assimilate a bit of knowledge about their life." She shrugged and sipped her water. "It's oftentimes a curse. Believe me, some things you really don't want to know." They both laughed knowingly at this.

She noticed that Dayle B kept glancing at the clock. "So what is the old man up to, getting home so late?"

Dayle B sighed. "Honestly I don't know. He acts so damn secretive sometimes. Very much values his privacy, which I get but he's pretty extreme about it. The daycare closes at 6 but sometimes he won't get home til 8:30 or 9:00 at night. He's always vague about why." She was unconsciously fidgeting with her engagement ring. "I don't believe he's cheating on me, though experience with past relationships tends to put that suspicion in my mind sometimes."

Dayle A was getting a bad feeling. She kept quiet though and chewed her food.

Other Dayle smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I'm not saying he's some terrible guy. In every other way he is wonderful. He loves to spend time with me. We have a ton in common. He's sweet and nonjudgmental." Her face lit up a bit then when she said "And he loves kids. He says we can adopt if we have to."

Dayle A smiled at this, hoping for her counterpart's sake that she was wrong about Jesse.

"I'll bet tomorrow night he won't be late. He's taking me to some charity gala. He's involved with a couple non profits and gets invited to these things that the mayor and other bigwigs attend. Honestly, I kind of hate getting dressed up and hanging out with a bunch of stuck up folks. But it's very important to him. He's all about that civic engagement shit." They exchanged identical smart ass smiles.

They cleared the table and washed dishes together in comfortable silence until Dayle B asked casually, "So, do you have a fella?"

Dayle A thought of the Doctor and started to blush. "No. Not really. I actually haven't dated at all for a few years." That earned her a strange look. She cleared her throat, hung a towel on the handle of the oven. "I was really screwed up there for a while. I got hooked on heroin." She tried not to sound ashamed. She had worked hard at forgiving herself over the years. She had to own her past and look toward the future. She proudly added, "I am three years and 142 days drug free."

Dayle B looked genuinely impressed. "Congratulations. That is an accomplishment." She turned solemn. "One of the girls at work, Val has a daughter who's only seventeen and hooked on the stuff. I feel just terrible for her. It's tearing Val's heart out. She tells me that she stays awake at night and every bump she hears, she thinks it's the cops coming to tell her that her baby's dead. Getting away from that shit ain't easy. You are a strong woman."

Dayle A smiled with gratitude. "It was hard work, getting myself together. I credit the Doctor with making me believe I could do it."

Other Dayle nodded and smiled back in understanding. "He does have a way of inspiring hope, doesn't he?"

 _An Hour Later_

Dayle A was out on the lot looking around for the TARDIS. "Ok Doctor," she muttered to herself. "Where did you go?" It was now dark out and even with the street lights, the lot was shadowy and creepy. It probably didn't help her mindset that there was a psycho shape shifting alien on the loose. Not to mention, Jesse may be pulling in at any moment and she'd had her fill of wacky mistaken identity nonsense for one day.

And Jesse. Something was apparently up with him and Dayle was hoping against hope that he and this shape shifting motherfucker weren't one and the same.

Suddenly she heard the familiar _squeak_ of the TARDIS doors and turned toward the sound. She did a double take. It was like a door had opened in empty space and through it, she could see the control room inside, the Doctor leaning against the console beckoning her in. She looked around to be certain she wasn't detected, then ran in.

* * *

"So, you can just make the TARDIS invisible?" Dayle asked, incredulous.

"She's cloaked." The Doctor explained. "Completely undetectable to any type of alien technology."

She shook her head. "Too damn much. I could really do with a cup of tea or something. I was a good girl and had water instead of wine with dinner. But I need something to help me chill out after this surreal shit today."

She looked so whipped, the Doctor was tempted to offer comfort, even just pat her shoulder soothingly. He refrained. Instead, he hopped away from the console. "Come with me." He said abruptly. "I'll fix you right up." Dayle followed him down the corridor. He walked briskly enough to where she could follow but not quite catch up.

They reached a small kitchenette and he began searching for the tea. She leaned against a wall, crossed her arms.

"So, how did things go with Dayle B? Did you have a nice chat?" He had started the kettle and found the cups.

"Man. You are trying to avoid me like the plague, aren't you?" She didn't look hurt exactly. More mystified.

He cleared his throat. "I don't know what you mean." he lied lamely.

She just shook her head. "It was nice. Dinner with 'other me'." She chuckled softly. "It actually didn't feel as bizarre as it rightly should have." Her face turned concerned. "But..."

He turned his full attention to her, hearing something in her tone. "What is it?"

"Her dude. Jesse. There's something wrong there and she knows it too. Says he's real secretive. Coming home late a lot. Private to the extreme." She gave him a meaningful look.

"You think Jesse might actually be Arc?" They sat at a small bistro table. He saw Dayle was now careful to avoid physical contact with him as well. This fact inexplicably bothered him.

She blew on her tea mug. "I mean, I don't know. But don't you think it's a possibility? You said yourself, she was single when you were here last time. Then this guy shows up." She absently brushed a curl off her forehead. "I wonder how long they were dating before they got engaged."

The Doctor was very troubled by this. "That means Dayle B could be in a great deal of danger. Especially if Arc finds out we are here and have made contact with her." He chewed the end of his thumb.

"Did you find out anything more about him?" she asked expectantly.

The Doctor nodded grimly. "I did. And I believe now I understand exactly how he pulled all this off. How he was so knowledgeable in the first place. He was imprisoned as a war criminal. In the Time War." She looked at him with kindness and patience when he paused at those words.

"See, their planet Zygor was destroyed by a stellar collision many years ago..." Dayle raised her eyebrows at this news. "They have been colonizing other planets ever since. Tried to take earth once before I stopped them. The Zygons have a main subset who operate off of a planet called Captum 2. They are a brutal bunch when they deem appropriate but they are principled and generally peaceful. But there are many that have split off into smaller groups and have spread out across the galaxy." He sipped his tea. "During the Time War, Arc was with a group who had taken up with the Daleks, Gallifrey's greatest enemy. Somehow his group had infiltrated a Time Lord base." He paused. "Arc captured and body printed a General."

Dayle's eyes grew large. "He body printed a Time Lord? So that means..."

The Doctor nodded. "He had access to Time Lord knowledge from the memories of this General he'd captured. He apparently caused so much trouble that his own kind turned on him and he was held indefinitely. Until his escape."

Dayle put her face in her hands. "So what does this mean? Can he time travel? What other type of technology does he have access to? This is definitely not cool."

"No." The Doctor agreed, thinking of Dayle B alone with her fiance. "Not a bit."


	20. Chapter 20

_Universe B, Bean Tree Cafe_

"Absolutely not!" The Doctor argued. "That is a terrible idea and you're not doing it."

Dayle looked at him like he had lost his damn mind. "I'm sorry?" Her eyes narrowed. "I seem to remember something about being a grown ass woman and I'm pretty sure you _won't_ be telling me what I am or am not doing."

She got up from the booth and stormed out, tossing her empty paper cup in the trash can near the door. It was early morning and it had all the makings of a beautiful day. They'd walked a few blocks from the apartment to a little cafe for breakfast.

The night before had been Dayle's first night sleeping on the TARDIS and she'd been dumbfounded by the fact that the TARDIS had created a room just for her. As she lay on the soft pillows on the comfortable bed trying to fall asleep in a room that had been configured by a dimensionally transcendental time machine, she'd formulated what she had to do.

Over coffee, Dayle had told the Doctor her plan.

The Doctor followed her out of the cafe, still adamant. "A thousand things could go wrong. If Jesse _is_ Arc, he could potentially detect that you aren't the Dayle from this universe. There's no telling what sort of technology he has at his disposal. No. It's too dangerous. I will find a way to handle this."

Dayle stopped at the corner, waiting for the light to change to cross. She turned to him.

"Doctor." She began calmly. "If he takes one look at you, he will for sure know who and what you are. I have two advantages. I'm identical to the woman he lives with and I'm a friggin psychic. Just give me a couple hours with him and we will find out for certain if he's human or Zygon." She looked into his eyes, trying to convince him.

His jaw was set as they crossed the street. "No. No way. My Sonic can get a reading on him just as well as your little gift can." They'd reached the other side of the street. He reached into his right jacket pocket and froze. He checked his other pocket, patted around his pants, panicking.

Dayle began to giggle. "Uh oh. Are you missing something there Time Lord?" Served him right for being so condescending about her "little gift."

"Dayle this is not at all funny. I've misplaced my Sonic Screwdriver. We are going to have to retrace our steps and find it immediately." His hands went to his head.

She smirked. "Ok, while you're doing that, I'm going to go talk to Dayle about trading places with her this evening." She began walking back to the apartment building.

He followed grumpily. "I'm going to go look around the TARDIS. And when I find my Sonic Screwdriver, _I_ will deal with this situation the right way. As quickly and as safely as possible."

They'd reached the lot and stopped just short of the cloaked TARDIS.

He sighed and tried again to reason with her. "Do you really think Dayle B is going to respond well to this theory of yours? That she'll just agree to let you go on a date with her boyfriend to find out if he's a metamorphic creature?"

"Yes, actually I do. Because if she's like any other woman, she'd probably rather him end up being an alien than a cheater." She crossed her arms.

"Let's look around for the Sonic, eh?" he pleaded. "If we can't find it, then... we'll try your way." He was reluctant to give in even that much.

She rolled her eyes but nodded.

 _Universe B, Dayle B's Apartment_

They were all seated around the dining room table. The Doctor had his arms crossed and was demonstrably not pleased.

Dayle A continued. "Look, I know it sounds a little Hayley Mills but this is some serious shit. It's highly likely that Jesse is just a regular guy but why not just make sure?"

Dayle B sat silent. She wasn't angry or upset. In fact, she wasn't even surprised by their concerns about Jesse. She admitted she'd been having the same thoughts since she'd learned about the Zygon in her building. When he'd gotten home, she'd pretended to be asleep. She was much too freaked out to deal with him.

"So how are we going to do this?" she wondered. "You are just going to pretend to be me and go with him to this gala thing tonight?" She didn't look too disappointed at the thought of missing the event.

"Exactly. You go chill with the Doctor in the TARDIS and I will go to the party. Then when I get the information we need, I can say I got called in to work and split. It's perfect since you're on call anyway."

The Doctor leaned forward, lacing his hands together. "We will most definitely not be 'chilling' in the TARDIS. We will be going to the party too, keeping an eye on things. Making sure you are safe."

The Dayles treated him to identical withering looks. "That is not going to work." Dayle A pointed out.

"Yeah, can't really have two of us at the same party." Dayle B agreed.

The Doctor smiled, adjusted his bow tie. "You can if one of you is in disguise."

* * *

"So what time did she say Jesse was picking you up?" The Doctor was nervously pacing around the bedroom while Dayle A dug through Dayle B's closet.

"The thing starts at six so he will be here around 5:30." She called from somewhere in the walk-in closet. "He's getting ready at work and the Assistant Director will stick around to finish closing the daycare. Oooo. _This_ is hot!"

She emerged holding up a blue satin gown. She appeared to be enjoying this undercover mission, particularly playing dress up as part of the subterfuge.

It was after 3 in the afternoon and Dayle B had run to her work to check on a patient who had taken a turn. She'd given Dayle A free reign over her clothes, shoes and jewelry.

"What do you think?" she asked the Doctor expectantly, holding the blue satin up to herself.

He thought the dark, royal blue brought out her eyes. He thought it contrasted beautifully with her smooth, pale skin. He thought the satin looked tempting enough to touch.

"Lovely." he said with a quick smile. He sat on the edge of the bed to wait, looking down at his hands.

He was thoroughly aggravated that he couldn't find the Sonic and had to go along with this plan. He had looked through every inch of the console room, the corridors and other rooms in the TARDIS he'd recently used. He'd even checked under bushes and in the dirt around the parking lot which was the last place he recalled pulling it out to scan for alien tech.

Dayle was now in the large bathroom trying on the dress. "Do you really think this is such a good idea?" he yelled to be heard through the door.

"Doctor, we've been through this." she shouted back. "Would you just trust me?" She sounded annoyed and even slightly offended. He'd noticed that she took exception to people not placing trust in her. He suspected it had to do with her recovery from addiction, having to work so hard at regaining trust. And he definitely understood.

"Dayle, I trust you." he said more softly.

The door opened. "What did you say?" she wondered.

The Doctor nearly fell off the bed. He couldn't actually form words. He just kind of made mouth sounds. He already knew Dayle was a beautiful woman but she was an absolute stunner in the blue gown. Every curve, every line was flawless. It was long with a high slit up the front revealing a good portion of one pale leg. The top was v-neck and revealed quite a bit of cleavage. She had sloppily piled her blonde curls on top of her head and pinned it in place. Even without an ounce of make up, her eyes sparkled and her full lips were enticing.

Dayle giggled, her dimples showing. She was clearly amused by the obvious effect she had on him. "I take it you like the dress then?" She was teasing him but he could tell by the way she blushed that she was pleased.

"Now then Time Lord. You need to explain again about this ear device thingee. Because I don't see how I'm supposed to hide it wearing this, with my hair up." She sat at the vanity table and picked through a jewelry box.

The Doctor cleared his throat a couple times. Adjusted his jacket, his bow tie. Took a deep breath. Then pretended like nothing had happened.

"The ear piece itself is wireless and tiny and will be completely hidden in your ear canal. Not only will you be able to hear me, but when you speak, even at a whisper, I will be able to hear you." He watched her reflection in the mirror. She was holding up different pairs of earrings and necklaces. "I think we should have an emergency word so if you get in trouble, I will know immediately."

She was fiddling with the clasp on a necklace."You mean like a safe word?" she muttered, chuckling.

He was puzzled. "If that's what you'd like to call it." He shrugged. "I'm quite fond of 'geronimo'."

She made a frustrated sound. "Can you help me with this stupid thing?" she indicated the silver necklace she was holding.

He sighed and stood up. "I hope Dayle B is back soon so we can get ready and be in place when it's time." He fidgeted as he approached where she sat at the dressing table, her back turned. His mind was wrapped around all the things that could go wrong, momentarily forgetting his new 'no touch' policy.

"I think you just need to relax." she told him gently, dropping the necklace into his outstretched hand. "I think it's going to go just fine and I _hope_ that all this is for nothing and he's just some regular dude with a drinking problem or a porn addiction."

The Doctor squinted at her crassness but said nothing. He was sort of used to it. He carefully unclasped the necklace and placed it around her neck, his fingers brushing the soft skin beneath her ear. She closed her eyes and shivered at the contact. He cleared his throat and glanced at her reflection as he attempted to refasten the clasp. "Are you alright?" he asked curiously. Her eyes opened and she gave him a half smile in the mirror.

"My neck. It's...just...very sensitive." she explained, giggling nervously.

He was fascinated by her reaction. "So you're ticklish on your neck then?" he wondered, suppressing a grin. He'd managed to fasten the delicate clasp. Now he deliberately brushed a stray curl away from her neck and tucked it back gently, his fingertips grazing her neck, his thumb tracing her ear. She closed her eyes again and leaned her head to the side. He adjusted the necklace, running his finger from her collarbone and back around. This time she made a small noise. That snapped him out of it and he clasped his hands together and walked back to sit in a chair far across the room.

Now he got it. She was aroused. Just by a gentle touch to her neck and ear? He was frankly startled at the possibility. Not that he was completely ignorant or inexperienced when it came to the mechanics of...things. Just with River it was all a bit more straight to the point. Not a lot of subtlety involved.

They heard the door to the apartment and both jumped up nervously. "I'm baaaack!" Dayle B sing-songed.


	21. Chapter 21

The Doctor and Dayle B had cleared off to get themselves ready for the party and Dayle A was now waiting in the lobby for Jesse to arrive.

She had the gown, the stockings, heels, jewelry, updo and makeup and she knew she was killing it. She also had the Doctor's little ear device thingee in her right ear. He had Dayle B place it of course because he was apparently traumatized after accidentally finding her favorite erogenous zone. She giggled remembering the very second he realized that he hadn't just been "tickling" her.

She jumped a little when she suddenly heard his voice in her ear. "Just testing this out. If you can hear me clearly, please indicate."

"Fuckin A" she whispered, just to irritate him. She heard a sound of exasperation on the other end and knew it was mission accomplished.

She was getting jittery. She had been shown a picture of Jesse, a tall, good looking guy of Hispanic descent. He was about 40 and had just the right amount of facial hair.

So when he entered the lobby, she knew to put on the smiley, happy fiance face. He walked over and gave her an appreciative head to toe sweep, pausing on the more impressive regions. He looked like he knew that dress was going to wind up on the floor before the night was over.

 _Do Zygons get horny?_ she wondered.

He gave her a quick peck on the cheek (much too quick to get anything useful) and said "You look amazing babe. You ready to get goin?"

As they exited the lobby, he placed his hand in the small of her back and guided her toward his car.

 _(Distracted, cautious, guilty.)_ His feelings came to her in a wave. Before anything more could crystallize, they'd reached his silver Audi and he was opening the door for her.

 _A horny, chivalrous Zygon with a conscious?_ she thought to herself, and had to stifle a nervous laugh as she settled herself in the passenger seat.

They were headed down the road and Dayle couldn't help but wonder when her backup would be arriving at the function. She suddenly felt very much alone.

"How was work babe? Good to see you finished at a decent hour." she remarked casually, caressing the hand that rested on the center console. He gave hers an affectionate squeeze ( _"Does she suspect something?"_ ) but didn't lace his fingers with hers.

Hmm. Not a hand holder then. This might be tougher than she thought.

He launched into the details of a day at the daycare center. Dayle B had told her he'd been a teacher before he'd taken over the business when his mother passed. He actually sounded like he quite loved his job.

They arrived at the party and Jesse left the car with valet. The gala was being held at the beautiful, historic Sugar Creek Public Library, Dayle's favorite place on earth. Even in this universe, walking through the hundred year old marble entryway did something to her. Before she met the Doctor, it was the only way she knew of to time travel.

Tonight the place was done up extravagantly. A string quartet played softly on the balcony and the lighting had been adjusted just right. Round cocktail tables covered in fine linens were scattered throughout the building and waiters in tuxedos passed hors d'oeuvres and the evening's signature drink: fig and pear infused vodka.

Dayle nearly gagged at the thought of drinking such a concoction but Jesse quickly grabbed one for each of them. _Oh great. How shall I explain that I suddenly don't drink?_ She held onto it and took a few pretend sips.

Jesse was already caught up in the networking game and continually introduced her to a steady stream of rich folks and dignitaries. She managed to ditch her drink in all the action.

She noticed that while Jesse was attentive to her, he was definitely not a touchy-feeley guy. _Might have been nice to know that an hour ago_ she thought to herself crossly.

She excused herself to the restroom so she could report in and find out where her partners in crime currently were. She looked around through the crowd as she made her way to the restroom but didn't spot them among the elite.

She found the family restroom and dashed inside. A single toilet and sink with no stalls. She locked the door and sat on the bench. She waited a moment, sulking. She was disappointed that so far her claircognizance had not gotten her anywhere. An hour in and all she'd learned about the dude was that he had a guilty conscious, great hair and really _really_ liked the Food Network.

"Hey guys. Reporting in. Where you two at?"

The Doctor's voice came through the earpiece. "Hello Dayle. We are mixing in quite nicely with the catering staff. What have you learned?"

She sighed, reluctant to admit her plan wasn't working. "Not much. Tell Dayle B that she could have warned me that he isn't very touchy-feeley. I can't very well do my thing if we don't touch." She heard the Doctor relay the message and the muffled sound of Dayle B's reply.

The Doctor clearly did not approve of Dayle B's suggestion because he gasped and told her "NO. I'm not telling her to do that! We can be patient for a bit. She can probably still get him out on the dance floor."

More muffled words from Dayle B., more insistent sounding this time.

The Doctor sounded horrified. "He's your fiance and you're telling another woman to-" The Doctor was suddenly cut off as Dayle B apparently took the mic away from him.

"Hey there Me, it's Me." Dayle B began. "Listen, there's no way in hell you're gonna get Jesse out on the dance floor. It didn't occur to me to tell you earlier but he hates dancing. And as you can tell, not really all that into public displays of affection either." She paused. "Girl, I'm afraid you're gonna have to pull him into a dark corner and... well... get a bit grabby."

Dayle A nearly choked. "You want me to sexually assault your fiance!? Holy shit! This is not what I signed on for!" She could hear the Doctor continue to fuss in protest in the background.

Dayle B sighed. "Look, if you were anybody else, no way in hell would I even consider it. But dude, you're me. You're working with all the same equipment, the same genes. You are exactly who I would be today if I'd made a different decision at sixteen. I can't very well be jealous of him being turned on by _you,_ now can I? Just do what you have to do. I think we are all ready for some answers here." She sounded determined and Dayle A couldn't think of a good enough reason (outside of basic social conditioning) to argue.

She took a deep breath and exited the restroom. She spotted Jesse all the way across the great hall and headed straight for him before she could lose her nerve.

The Doctor had taken back the mic. "You aren't really going to go through with this are you?" She started to tune him out, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Do Zygons get horny? Is that a thing?" she inquired as she made her way purposefully toward her alternate universe fiance.

" _WHAT!?"_ the Doctor spluttered. _"_ I haven't the first clue! Do you seriously wish to find out firsthand?" She rolled her eyes, dug the earpiece out of her ear and dropped it into the matching blue satin handbag she was carrying. If he wasn't going to be helpful, she didn't need to hear what he had to say.

When she reached Jesse, she grabbed him a bit roughly by his arm and tugged him away from his conversation. She declared insistently "I need to have a word."

He looked taken aback. "Well Dayle. That was rude. I was talking to-"

 _In for a penny, in for a pound_ she thought as she inconspicuously grabbed his junk.

His expression changed immediately and suddenly he was the one dragging her away, off to a part of the library that wasn't being used for the event.

With his hand on her arm, flashes of his inner self started to come to Dayle.

 _(kind, ambitious, guarded)_ He pulled her up a small staircase. They had to duck under the stanchions. _(flashes of his years as a science teacher)_ They'd reached a well hidden alcove and he wasted no time in pressing her against the wall and kissing her face off. _(glimpses of his relationship with Dayle B)_ His hands were roaming all over her.

 _Motherfucker, you better just be a horny Zygon. If I went through all this for nothing..._

 _("her lips are so soft")_

 _(excited and ready)_

 _("She can never know")_

 _(a flash of the exterior of a building, the daycare center?)_

 _("can't wait to get her home")_

 _(the daycare center again. At night)_

 _(a flash of stars in a night sky)_

 _("they all keep their secrets")_

 _(a flash of a man being stabbed)_

 _("they'll never expect this")_

 _(a flash of the interior of a spaceship)_

The needle on an imaginary record player scratched violently against an imaginary record in Dayle's mind.

 _STABBED!? SPACESHIP!?_ She had to keep herself from leaping away from him in fear.

"Damn!" she hoped she sounded convincingly frustrated as she untangled herself, her heart pounding. "Pretty sure my pager just vibrated". He looked like someone had just peed on his cheerios. She feigned checking the pager (that didn't even have batteries) in her handbag. "Babe. I'm so sorry. But I gotta go!" She patted his shoulder. "I'll just call a cab. No sense in you leaving too."

He gave her a quick kiss, clearly aggravated. He grumbled good bye and made his way to the restroom to straighten himself up to be seen in public. She hurriedly made her way back to the hall, wove her way through the crowd and exited the building. She stuck the earpiece back in her ear.

" _Doctor."_ She hissed, too amped up on adrenaline to care who else might hear. "It's him. Jesse is Arc. And he's planning something."

She heard him sigh in relief to hear her voice. "You're alright. Come round to the back. The TARDIS is in the little courtyard there."

* * *

"Where's Dayle B?" she asked immediately upon entering the TARDIS.

The Doctor started to answer and then took in her appearance.

Her lipstick was mostly gone, what was left was smeared. Her hair was a mess, curls escaping everywhere. Even the gown seemed a bit askew. She certainly looked like she'd been manhandled.

He turned away from her, replied crossly "She actually was called in to work. She left about thirty minutes ago."

She stood just inside the entrance to the control room, watching him as he handled the controls a lot more roughly than necessary as he dematerialized the TARDIS.

"Are you _seriously_ mad at me right now?" She sounded incredulous. "We got the information we needed. Now we need to figure out what to do about it."

What he meant to say was ' _I'm not mad. I just need time to think about the Arc situation'_

What he said instead was, "I'm not mad, I just think there was a better way to get the information than making out with another woman's fiance." _Close_.

"Why the hell are you so bent out of shape about that? She was the one that _told_ me to." She headed off toward her room, clearly tired of arguing.

What he meant to do was let her go, calm down a bit and start formulating a plan.

What he did instead was follow after her down the corridor.

"Seems to me that you were awfully eager to go through with this little operation of yours." He called after her accusingly. "Almost as if you were hoping for the chance to get your hands on a man."

She stopped in her tracks, turned around and slapped him in the face.

"Go fuck yourself Time Lord!" she shouted, her eyes overflowing with tears.

 _What am I doing?_ He asked himself as he watched her retreat to her room and slam the door. He leaned against the wall. Beat his head against it a couple times. The TARDIS hummed as if to say he could do with a couple more knocks to the head. He lingered there in the corridor, trying to get his mind around his own behavior.

He was shocked that he'd acted like such a judgmental bully towards her. She was right. Why did he care if Dayle B clearly didn't? She'd accomplished the mission. She'd found out who the Zygon was.

He thought back to earlier, before Dayle B had been called in to work. She had told him he was acting like a jealous boyfriend over the whole situation. " _If I didn't know better, Mr. Lord of Time, I would think you and other me had something going on."_ He had brushed her comment aside then but now, he realized she was right.

The Doctor sighed and headed down the corridor to her bedroom door. It had become apparent that avoiding the situation was not making it go away. He knocked lightly.

"A bit busy at the moment." she replied belligerently through the door. "A floozy's work is never done."

He burst into her room anyway. She had taken the gown off, laid it out carefully over the back of a chair. She had washed her face and was wearing just a long t-shirt and panties, sitting cross legged on the bed. She glared at him.

Before she could verbally assault him again, he quickly blurted "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Her expression softened, though she still looked hurt. She scooted over to make room on the bed and he sat beside her.

"That's not entirely true. I do know what came over me." He looked down at his hands. "You are right. I have been avoiding you. You see, I don't do this. I don't get involved like this with my companions. Flirt, sure. Get to the point of wanting to physically harm someone for touching them? Not so much." He shook his head, disappointed in himself.

"Doctor." she whispered. "Give me your hands."

He looked at her, hesitating, then held his hands out to her. Instead of taking them in hers, she placed his fingertips at her temples.

 _He saw her back at the library with Jesse, hidden away in a shadowy alcove. He felt how uncomfortable she was having to kiss Jesse and having to let him touch her, how fast she pulled away when she found out what she needed to know._

He wasn't proud of the fact that his wounded ego felt better just knowing that for sure. He started to pull his hands away, but she held them there.

 _She began projecting a fantasy into his mind, allowing him to see exactly what she wanted to do with him. It was the Doctor and Dayle, his hands tangled in her hair, her hands holding his face, their mouths fused together. He felt how badly she wanted him and that the feeling was definitely mutual. He ran his hands up her thighs, beneath her skirt. She was feverishly unbuttoning his pants._

He began to get quite warm. She had a very vivid imagination. When she let go of his hands, he pulled them back slowly. He was speechless. She looked at him and smirked.

"In case you were really wondering exactly who I was hoping to get my hands on."

She fell back onto the pillows, clearly whipped from her telepathic efforts. "There's something going on at the daycare." she told him sleepily. "He kept flashing to that place. He had thoughts of someone being stabbed, the interior of a spaceship. The words loud in his mind, 'they'll never expect this.'"

He laid down next to her, on his side facing toward her. "So I suppose tomorrow, we check out the daycare."

She nodded and her eyes began to close. Their faces, their bodies were inches from each other but not touching. He reached down and pulled the blanket over them keeping that imaginary line between them. They slept.


	22. Chapter 22

She awoke to find the Doctor still tucked into the bed beside her. She caught him watching her when she opened her eyes.

She sat up. "Watching me while I sleep, huh? That's all sorts of creepy." she joked and stretched.

He sat up immediately. "I just didn't want to disturb you." he explained guiltily. He quickly got out from beneath the covers and stood. "Right. First thing we must do is contact Dayle B to discuss our next move. Why don't you get yourself sorted while I go and get her."

She went into the bathroom and took a shower. She was glad they were getting closer to figuring all this out but she felt terrible for the other Dayle. While she toweled off, she wondered if she'd first encountered Jesse as a Zygon or if he had been taken by Arc after they'd met.

She did the bare minimum with her hair and face and then peeked curiously into the wardrobe that had appeared in the corner of the room, apparently over night.

There were mostly casual clothes in there, only in her size. She looked through and realized that it consisted mainly of short flowy skirts with cute tops to match. No jeans or t shirts in sight. She drummed her fingers on the wooden door. Not very practical for battling an alien menace. She looked around her room. "So, are these really for me or more for _him?"_ The lights flashed and the TARDIS seemed to hum in response. She chuckled and selected an outfit. She had always thought her legs and ass were her best features. Apparently someone agreed.

She wound her way through the corridors until she reached the kitchenette. She instantly forgave the TARDIS when she saw that coffee was there waiting for her.

She made her way into the control room sipping from a mug just as the Doctor returned, looking quite worried. "What is it?" she asked, instantly alarmed.

"Dayle B. She's not in her apartment. The door was unlocked. Her bed's not been slept in." He slammed his hand on the console, making her jump. "Why didn't I think to check on her sooner? If I hadn't been so caught up in my little tantrum last night..."

"Doctor, this isn't your fault. We assumed she was at work. And honestly, she might well still be at work. That's the life of a nurse. Unpredictable hours. Just calm down. Have you tried calling her?"

He looked at her uncomfortably.

She blinked. "You don't have her fucking phone number." A statement. Not a question.

"Well, it's not like we chat on the phone much now do we? I've only just met her- and you- a few days ago in my timestream. The appropriate time to exchange numbers never really came up."

She sighed. "Well there has to be something in the apartment with her contact info." She set her mug down. "Let's go." They headed for Dayle B's apartment.

When they got off the elevator on six, they ran right into Melody.

"Dayle!" she exclaimed frantically, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I just knocked on your door looking for you."

"Whoa, Melody. Calm down. What is it?"

"It's Aaron. He's just disappeared." Melody was clearly distraught, her eyes red-rimmed. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Aaron..." _Oh the guy! The Keeping up with the Kardashians guy._

The Doctor broke in, placing a calming hand on Melody's shoulder. "When was the last time you saw Aaron?"

"Last night." Melody explained, wiping her face with the sleeve of her cardigan. "We were at some charity event at the library. We had been having a fabulous time, drinking these amazing fig and pear infused vodka drinks." She turned and addressed Dayle. "A couple hours into the evening, Aaron spotted your Jesse and went over to say hello. He never came back!"

The Doctor and Dayle shared a look. "Well what about his car? Have you found it?" Dayle wondered.

"He doesn't have a car." She sighed. "He's a bit weird really. Said he'd never learned to drive. Rides a bicycle everywhere." She shrugged. "We used Uber last night."

"Listen." Dayle said soothingly. "Why don't you just go back to your apartment. Relax. Don't go anywhere. I will call Jesse at work and see if he spoke with Aaron at all last night. Hopefully Aaron will turn up soon enough." Melody obeyed and wandered off down the hall sobbing.

Inwardly, Dayle was horrified. Aaron went missing after talking to Jesse. Now Dayle B was possibly missing as well. This shit was getting scary fast.

They entered Dayle B's apartment cautiously. Everything appeared just fine to Dayle. No signs of a struggle. No alien slime smeared on the furniture. They looked through drawers and on every surface seeking anything that might have Dayle B's phone number on it, or even the name of the place she worked.

The Doctor leaned against the kitchen counter. "This whole thing has gone horribly wrong and it's all my fault." He looked deeply troubled.

"Doctor, despite what you seem to think, the weight of the world... I'm sorry _worlds,_ does not rest on your shoulders. You can't fix everything. You can't stop every bad thing from happening." She went to him and hugged him from the side, leaned her weight against him. His shame and self directed anger were coming off him in waves. After a moment, he responded by putting his arm around her, pressing his lips to her forehead. She heard his thoughts: _I will not lose her. I will keep her safe no matter what._

She looked up at him. "Dayle B is going to be fine. We will find her and we will do whatever we need to do to stop Jesse."

He looked down at her fondly. "You are so certain and brave Dayle Moss." He booped her nose. "My hearts can barely take it." Their eyes locked. He touched her face lightly and leaned down toward her. Her eyes closed.

The fucking phone rang.

" _Seriously._ Who has a landline anymore!?" She wondered exasperatedly. She followed the noise of the ringer until she found it. She picked it up immediately, hoping it was Dayle B. "Hello!?"

"Hey babe!" _It was Jesse._ Dayle's blood froze. "Glad you made it home ok. Just wanted to let you know. I'll be home late tonight. Something's come up here."

Dayle's heart was pounding furiously, her eyes huge. She pointed to the phone and mouthed _"it's Jesse!"_ to the Doctor. He looked shocked and confused and walked quickly over to her.

"Uhm... ok. So. You'll just be there at work then?" She was rambling but she didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah honey. I'll see you later though." He paused meaningfully. "Can't wait." He hung up. Fear shot through her.

"What the hell?" she asked the Doctor. "I think he knows, Doctor. I think he's done something with Dayle B and he knows I am here. Why would he call the landline? Why wouldn't he just call her cell?" She was shaking.

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh. I won't let anything happen to you."

* * *

They were back in the TARDIS now. Before they'd left the apartment, the Doctor had pocketed a spare key to the daycare they'd found in a wooden box on top of the dresser. It was full of spare keys, all neatly labeled. Dayle had insisted on leaving a note, just in case Dayle B was perfectly fine and returned home. Her optimism was sweet but definitely not contagious.

"So when are we headed over there...to the daycare?" She was curled up on a jumpseat, her feet in the seat, her arms wrapped protectively around her legs. He knew she was scared of Jesse, scared that he was coming after her specifically. And yet. She would still stand against him, put herself in danger. The Doctor knew that that was what real courage was about. Not being unafraid. It was being afraid but doing what you have to do anyway.

He leaned against the console. "I say we go at closing time. During the day it seems Arc is still putting on the facade of running Jesse's business. If he's up to something sinister there, it happens at dark."

"Well, I am an absolute wreck and I don't know how I'm going to keep myself together until then." She jumped up and started pacing. "If I were home and felt keyed up like this, I'd go for a run. That's a great stress reliever. Not to mention the ultimate natural high."

He shrugged. "Go for a run. There's a running track in the TARDIS." She looked at him in amazement.

"Show me!"

He'd shown her exactly where to go then left her to get changed. He was still very concerned about not having his Sonic Screwdriver so he decided to try to throw together some type of device that might help him track the Zygon and locate his ship.

He was putting the finishing touches on it thirty minutes later when he realized he hadn't heard from Dayle in a while. He set his work aside and headed down the corridor to check on her. He entered the room. It was like having a part of a park indoors. There were grass and trees. The running track was a quarter mile all the way around and was made of soft rubber. He spotted Dayle near a fountain at the far end of the room. Her back was to him.

She was wearing running tights, a t shirt and running shoes. She was at the fountain cooling herself off. As he started to approach her, she pulled her t shirt off, revealing just a sports bra. She splashed water on herself. Her tights showed off her rounded backside nicely and she was mostly naked on top. Her curls were pulled back into a messy pony tail. She turned and saw him.

"I did three miles." She smiled proudly as she sauntered towards him, throwing her t shirt over her shoulder. "Not too bad for an old chick."

She was flushed and drenched in sweat, breathing heavily. She stopped and looked at him curiously.

"Are you alright?"

He didn't speak, just stepped toward her. He was more attracted to her now somehow than he'd been when she was in the evening gown. It was something to do with chemistry, pheromones. He absolutely needed to touch her. He backed her into the wall and stood in her personal space.

She dropped her t shirt, her hands went to his chest. "Oh I see. You like it dirty. Can't wait til a girl gets a shower first." She giggled and looked up at him, her eyes full of amusement and desire.

His hands went to her bare waist, his fingers gently skimming her firm stomach. She closed her eyes. They moved up her abdomen but stopped short of her breasts. He was breathing heavily now, his hands shaking slightly. He was on fire just touching her sweaty flesh but he had no idea what to do with her. These weren't instincts he usually followed. There was no simple right or wrong here. Too many variables. Too many unknowns. He preferred science that was certain.

He dropped his hands, turned away. "I'll let you get cleaned up. Need to finish the device I'm working on." He left the room quickly, knowing full well she was not going to be happy. _Coward._

 _Campbell's Kids Daycare Center 6:30pm_

He had managed to materialize the TARDIS in an alley one block away from the child care center. He kept it cloaked and in stealth mode. "Are you ready?"

"Yep. Let's do this." She cracked her knuckles and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The nervous energy she'd run off earlier was obviously creeping back. Not that she would talk to him about that. She hadn't really been much in the mood for talking since she'd showered and gotten dressed again.

They made their way through the alley and came out in the lot attached to Jesse's daycare. The silver Audi was the only car in the lot. The Doctor tried the key in a side entrance and it worked.

They entered a darkened corridor. The interior smelled like a mixture of bleach and finger paint and wet diapers. They crept down the hallway, their footfalls squeaking softly on the waxed tile floor.

"What the hell are we going to do when we find this guy?" Dayle whispered fiercely. "This is dumb. Maybe you should reconsider your whole pacifist thing and stock up on some badass space weapons."

"Shhh! I think I heard something." He held up his hand. A door closed somewhere else in the building and they heard footsteps coming closer. They froze. "In here!" The Doctor shoved her into a large supply closet and closed the door quickly behind them. He waited a beat after the footsteps passed by, then he went to open the door to peek out. Except. He jiggled the knob again.

Dayle gasped. " _Are we locked in this goddamn closet!?"_ She frantically reached for the pull chain to the overhead bulb. A dim light came on revealing shelves of toys, games, construction paper and glue. A counter attached to one wall held puzzles and paint.

"Yes. It would seem so." He hit his head against the door a couple times softly. _Unbelievable_.

Dayle was pacing, her arms crossed. "You know. It's not everyday one gets locked in a closet full of board games and craft supplies at night with a pain in the ass Time Lord. And it's even less common when there's a murderous shape shifting alien roaming the halls nearby. This must just be my lucky day."

"Dayle calm down. We will find a way out of this." He couldn't _believe_ he'd lost his Sonic Screwdriver.

They could hear a door open and close deeper into the building. The sound of somebody making their way down a staircase into the basement. At least it seemed Jesse was occupied elsewhere for the time being.

The Doctor sighed. "I shouldn't have brought you here. I should have made you stay behind in the TARDIS."

Dayle leaned against a wall and slid to the floor. "You suck Doctor."

He was hurt. "Dayle, I didn't mean for this to happen. I was trying to find a hiding spot..."

"Oh I'm not talking about this fucking closet fiasco. It's you. You are always so damn worried about doing the 'right thing'. Life isn't always black and white like that. Sometimes you just have to make a move, even when you're unsure of yourself. Your moralizing gets a little exhausting."

He looked at her and she stared back at him, into him, with those big blue gray eyes of hers. Like a challenge.

Then she stood and turned her back to him. Leaning against the counter that ran along a short wall of the roughly rectangular room, she occupied herself with a wooden puzzle that was sitting there.

He stood there watching her, his hearts racing.

She was outspoken and sweary and dirty minded. She was too spontaneous and a bit careless and infuriating... and she was brilliant and funny and kind and brave. She was also terribly sexy and she wanted him for some inexplicable reason. He saw her there in her short skirt with her smooth skin and wild curls and she was the only thing that existed for him in that moment. He felt unsure, but he was most definitely about to make a move.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Newsflash: things are about to get really naughty.**_

* * *

Trapped in the storage closet at the daycare and aggravated with the Doctor, Dayle turned her attention to a wooden puzzle that sat on the counter against one wall.

He was watching her intently. She was much too aware of that fact and of his proximity to her.

 _Jeez. Get some perspective._ She scolded herself. _We are kind of in a serious predicament here. Not really the time to worry about some stupid crush._ She scoffed silently. There is a time and a place after all.

The Doctor was suddenly standing right behind her. His voice made her jump.

"So, when you were reading all those books on space and physics, did you learn that not all types of stellar collisions create a black hole?"

 _Astrophysics._ She thought with relief. _Quicker than a cold shower._

"I can't recall. I think I only really payed attention to the stuff about neutron star collisions." she replied conversationally. She continued fiddling with the puzzle.

"So you never heard of the white dwarf star then?" He had stepped slightly closer. She felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck react to his nearness. Her heart skipped a beat.

She strove to sound friendly and relaxed, still not turning to face him. "Dwarf star? No, I don't think I've ever heard of that."

"A white dwarf star is the final evolution of a star. It's when a star has shed its outer layers." she realized he was taking his jacket off. He dropped it carelessly to the floor. She froze. What the hell was he up to?

He had abruptly closed the distance between them. His front pressed against her back. His face was hovering over her right shoulder, his right hand supporting himself on the waist-high counter, the left hand suddenly gentle at her waist. "The only part that's left is the hot core." he said softly, close to her ear.

At his touch, she saw for certain that this astrophysics lesson was anything but innocent. His thoughts, his feelings were shockingly indecent.

She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears.

"You don't say..." she replied in an unfamiliar, strangled voice.

 _Now? You choose now?_ The feeling of panic she was experiencing was as unfamiliar as her own voice.

His soft lips suddenly brushed against her ear and she froze. Fire blazed in her stomach and migrated south. _Oh hell no he didn't_.

"You see," he continued in that soft, casual voice, "if a white dwarf star collides with another star, any type of star really, there is a runaway fusion reaction." He kissed her throat just under her ear, rubbed his lips delicately back and forth, causing chills to creep over her entire body. His hand had moved from her waist, down to her hip.

"That's interesting." her voice was now comically high. _Dammit_. Zero chill.

"The reaction is what humans who work in astrophysics refer to as a Type 1a Supernova." He brushed her curls away from her neck slowly with his right hand, fingertips barely skimming her skin. She shivered at his touch. Then his lips made contact with her throat once more. This time, his mouth opened and she felt his hot tongue against her skin. He bit her lightly. Dayle gasped, a sharp intake of breath.

The hand at her hip seemed to have another destination in mind. It edged ever so slowly around to her front.

Seriously turned on now, Dayle's eyes closed and she could only lean back against him, powerless.

The Doctor continued his lesson, "What occurs is carbon detonation." He continued to place feather light kisses on her neck making her tingle all over. As his hand snaked around, the fingertips edged under the bottom of her top, skimming the flesh of her lower abdomen.

His voice was low and slightly rougher than usual. "The internal pressure and temperature of the white dwarf star rises." His hand made its way much lower. He kissed his way up and along her jawline softly.

"And the carbon at its core ignites." His hand had reached its intended target. His fingertips began caressing her through the fabric of her skirt. Dayle moaned.

"The amount of energy released from this thermonuclear reaction is spectacular." With that, he pulled her face around somewhat forcefully with his free hand and kissed her deeply on the mouth, taking his time about it. His fingers were still doing extraordinary things to her through her skirt and panties. Dayle's legs went weak. She was breathless when the kiss ended.

 _This motherfucker._ She was nearing the very edge of her limit but she was also totally appalled at his nerve. _Now? In this goddamn closet_? They had been laying next to each other in a bed all night and he hadn't so much as patted her on the head. She had been ready and willing near the running track and he'd walked away.

"The energy is more than sufficient to unbind the star." His mouth returned to the sweet spot on her throat once more while his hand continued to drive her crazy.

 _I am so going to kill him_. She thought helplessly as she began to come undone completely.

"The star explodes savagely, violently producing a shockwave..." He bit her neck a bit harder this time. For once, the Time Lord's timing was impeccable.

She. Was. So. There.

She struggled to keep from screaming out loud, instead settling for a whimpering gasp. When she finally came back down from outer space, she was practically hyperventilating.

He pulled his hand away from her suddenly and stepped back. She had to catch herself on the counter and lean there for a moment until her legs stopped shaking. The release had been mind-blowing but she was outraged that he'd chosen this particular place and time for such proceedings.

She turned around, glaring and gesturing in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious right now!?"

His eyes were dark in a wonderfully dirty way, his expression smug.

"It's science." he shrugged.

She sighed, grabbed him by his face and began kissing him fiercely. This time, he didn't hesitate to respond accordingly, backing her up to the counter, his hands in her hair. He pressed himself against her roughly, his own physical reaction now evident.

She couldn't believe this guy. One second he's an innocent, asexual alien, the next he's behaving like a typical horny man.

And she was so totally into it.

He grabbed her ass suddenly with both hands and lifted her, propping her on the counter in front of him. Her hands were tangled in his hair, his tongue was in her mouth as he moved her legs apart, stepped in between them and scooted her closer. His hands traveled up her thighs, under her skirt. Their mouths remained fused as she feverishly tried to unbutton his pants.

They froze when they heard a familiar rhythmic whirring and the lock on the door clicked. Dayle B burst into the closet suddenly, proudly holding up the Sonic.

"Ta daaa!" she exclaimed. "Found it in the sofa again." She stopped short when she saw what they were up to, her thunder clearly stolen.

She stood blinking as they slowly untangled themselves, adjusted their clothing. Dayle A hopped down. Cleared her throat, wiped her mouth. The Doctor was a deer caught in the headlights.

Dayle B looked like a disappointed parent. "Yeah, so here I am. With the Sonic Screwdriver. To the rescue. There's a psycho alien on the loose. And you two are here dry fucking in a closet. Unbelievable."

She turned and exited the way she came, shaking her head sadly.

They looked at each other guiltily.

Dayle A gestured to the door, "Maybe we should..."

"Yes, probably should." the Doctor agreed, breathlessly retrieving his jacket from the floor.

They left the closet and joined Dayle B in the hallway. "Th-thanks...?" Dayle A offered lamely.

Dayle B just rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. It wasn't entirely intelligible but Dayle A caught bits and pieces here and there. She thought she heard something in there about _"the fuck is wrong with these two"_ and _"like goddamn animals"._

* * *

"Where have you been?" the Doctor was asking. "You had us worried sick." They were still sneaking through the hallway of the darkened daycare, just around the corner from Jesse's office according to Dayle B.

"Yeah, you looked ready to send a search party." she responded dryly. "I was at work you knuckleheads." She smacked the Doctor on the arm playfully. "Didn't you get my text?"

Dayle A's eyes slid over to him. _"Text?"_ she asked in disbelief.

"S-s-so you had my number then?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile device. Sure enough, 1 Unread Message. _"Hey guys. Please let me know what's going on. I have no choice but to pull a double here. At least if Jesse turns out to be a Zygon, I won't be around for him to kill me. LOL"_

Dayle A read the text over his shoulder and smacked him on the arm for real. "Ouch!" he exclaimed.

"Shhh!" hissed both Dayles in unison.

"You gave me your number before you left 3 years ago. Don't you remember?"

He didn't bother to answer that. They'd turned the corner and saw the Director's office, the door cracked open, the light on.

"I don't think he's in there." whispered Dayle A. "After he passed by the closet, it sounded like he was headed down some stairs."

The Doctor glanced at her with an amused expression. "Do you really think you'd have noticed if he'd come back up the stairs? Or set off fireworks. Or conducted a marching band down the hallway..."

Dayle A reddened and gave him a death glare. He didn't care. He felt the lesson had gone quite well.

He put his hand up, indicating for the Dayles to wait while he checked things out. The Dayles crouched together around the corner.

The Doctor carefully edged around the door, pushed it open slowly. The office was empty. He beckoned to the Dayles.

"Whoa." said Dayle A as they entered. The office was large with an impressive dark wood desk covered with all the typical office accoutrement. That wasn't what caught the eye though. The office was decorated top to bottom with merchandise from a popular sci fi show. There were posters. Figurines of robots and alien creatures. Mugs. A clock. Even a cardboard cutout of some alien guy dressed in a black spacesuit with blue lines across his eyes.

Dayle B smirked. "Yeah, he's really into that show." She sounded embarrassed for him. "Like to the exreme. It gets a little obnoxious. The fandom refer to themselves as 'Bloovians'." She rolled her eyes and indicated the cardboard cutout. "That's the main character, Bloo."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, something niggling at his mind. He shared a look with Dayle A.

"Dayle B, what exactly is downstairs? Is there any reason Jesse might be there now?" he asked.

"He once told me about a little spare room down in the basement where he used to go play when he had to come to work with his mom as a kid. Maybe it's still his little getaway place...". She shrugged.

They headed for the stairs, the Doctor in the lead, using his Sonic now as a torch. The Dayles took up the rear, nervously clutching at each other. It was quite dark down there and there was no telling what or whom they might find.

An ominous clicking, tapping sound could be heard as they reached the bottom of the staircase. The Doctor looked back at them, his finger to his lips so they would be silent. There was a light a bit further into the basement. He cut off the Sonic's glow and they all crept toward the light.

When they reached the room, they all three froze at the open door.

Sitting at a rickety old wooden desk was Jesse wearing a Bloo tshirt, typing furiously away at his laptop. He looked up after a moment and fell out of his chair at the sight of the three of them.

"W-w-what the hell!?" his eyes wide with shock.

"Jesse... what the fuck are you doing down here?" Dayle B stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Uhm... nothing." He quickly shut the laptop.

"As I thought" groused Dayle B. "A porn addiction." She threw her hands up.

"NO!" Jesse replied indignantly.

"But wait," insisted the Doctor, scratching his head. "Your psychic visions. The man being stabbed. The inside of a spaceship..."

"Jesse, I'm just going to ask you this once and you better be straightforward with me." Dayle B was near tears. "Are you really a fucking shape shifting alien trying to take over the world? Is your name _actually_ Arc?" She put her hand to her face, stifling a sob.

Jesse was now standing, looking in wonder from Dayle A to Dayle B, utterly confused.

He didn't even address her question. "You never told me you had a twin sister babe."

The three intruders all looked at each other. The Doctor scanned Jesse with his Sonic, flipped it out and read the results. Thunked himself on the head with it.

"He's totally human." he muttered, turning away with his hand to his head.

Dayle A had apparently had enough. "Alright. Just what the fuck are you up to down here at night, staying so late? And did you stab somebody? Have you been inside a spaceship?"

Jesse sat down heavily in his office chair and exhaled. He flipped open his laptop and turned it toward them so they could see. He put his head in his hands.

"You're writing something...?" Dayle A began examining the screen.

" _IT'S FANFICTION OK._ I write fanfiction. About Bloo."

The Doctor and both the Dayles all took a step back, horrified by the revelation. The Dayles looked disgusted. The Doctor just looked mystified.

"Didn't you hear me?" he asked, looking at all of them. "I'm not a shape shifting alien. My name's not Arc. It's bloovian365..."

The Doctor put his Sonic Screwdriver back in his jacket pocket. He honestly wasn't sure which was worse.

* * *

 ** _As a side note, just wanted to say, the fandom/fanfiction joke is all in good fun. I am a proud Whovian (with merch in my office thank you very much) and have been reading fanfiction since 2003. I just think it's so bizarre that people have to be secretive about reading or writing fanfiction and how it's treated somewhat disdainfully. So I figured I'd make fun of us all a bit. lol_** ** _-Ruinous79_**


	24. Chapter 24

Jesse was gazing in wonder around the control room. For a sci fi geek like him, this must have seemed like a dream come true. "Explain it again Doctor. How does all this" he swept his arm around "fit in the box?"

The Dayles headed off to the library to chat quietly while the Doctor happily showed off for the newest passenger on the TARDIS.

Both women settled into velvet covered Victorian style chairs near an unlit fireplace. Dayle A leaned forward, pinching the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger, thoroughly pissed off at herself for getting it so wrong.

Before she could speak, Dayle B spoke her piece: "Look, I know what's in that head of yours. You are blaming yourself. You are angry that you misread the situation and you feel like you somehow let us all down." Dayle A looked up at her, confirmation written all over her face.

Dayle B shook her head emphatically. "It's bullshit. You're not some fucking rent a psychic we hired to solve a mystery. You were utilizing a gift you have in order to obtain information. How on earth could you have known that what you were picking up on was the plot to some story Jesse was writing? You reached a logical conclusion from the information you were given." She sat back, arms crossed as if to say "end of discussion."

Dayle A cast her eyes down, still in her feelings. She toyed with the arm of the chair, and stated guiltily, "Dude. I totally grabbed your fiance's dick."

Dayle B busted out laughing at that and it wasn't long before Dayle A joined in. They laughed until they were weak and wiping tears from their identical blue-gray eyes.

Dayle B pressed her lips together. "So what's going on?" She raised her eyebrows with a look of humor in her eye. "With our alien friend? Looked like you were having a Close Encounter back there." She giggled.

Dayle A blushed from the tips of her toes to the roots of her curly blonde hair. She covered her face with her hands, embarrassed. "He totally started that shit." she accused, muffled because of her hands.

"Well..." Dayle B prodded, "what's the deal? Have you guys already...?"

"No." Dayle replied, taking her hands away finally. "It's been building though. We have this chemistry thing. It started even when we were only connecting telepathically." She shrugged. "There's just an affinity there. And now also ridiculous sexual tension." She chuckled.

Dayle B turned serious, squinting at her counterpart. She asked as gently as possible, "Where do you think it could possibly go?" She had pointed to the elephant in the room and both of them knew it.

Dayle A sighed. "Look, I'm not some naive dumbass who thinks this is heading toward true love and growing old together." She looked slightly embarrassed again. "But. I haven't felt this way in such a terribly long time. It's like infatuation when infatuation was a new thing. Hanging at the skating rink and wondering if Tommy Barr was going to hold my hand during the slow song."

Her eyes became haunted. "Before I got clean, hell even after, I was dead inside toward men, toward love. Sex was just a bargaining chip. It was going through the motions." she shrugged and closed her eyes, tears starting. "I guess I felt that I had killed something inside me. Or that I had chased it away and it was gone for good. I felt so used and so old." She opened her eyes, now shiny with unshed tears and smiled at Dayle B. "This thing with the Doctor. It makes me feel new again. Clean. If that makes any sense."

Dayle B wiped away a tear shed from empathy and nodded her understanding. "It makes all the sense in the world. And you deserve to feel that way. And when you're ready, when you return to your life, you can still find someone who makes you feel that way. _And_ whom you can grow old with." She smiled then, a dirty little smile Dayle A recognized all to well. "Until then. Get it girl." They were giggling at this like Junior High girls when the Doctor and Jesse joined them.

The Doctor glanced at them curiously, as if he knew he might be the punchline of the joke. They quieted down and Dayle B stood, putting her arm around Jesse affectionately. To everyone's surprise, his arm went around her too and he held her close to his side.

"I suppose Jesse and Dayle B can take his car home since it's right out in the lot." The Doctor announced. He studied Dayle A who furtively avoided his eyes. He cleared his throat. "I would like to take my new detector device out for a spin tonight, see if I can't locate Arc's ship. It must be close by."

Dayle A suddenly sat straight up in her chair. "Aaron!" she blurted.

The Doctor looked at her, his eyes narrowing. He turned to Jesse who was marveling at the high ceiling in the library. "Jesse, do you have any idea where Melody's friend Aaron was headed after he spoke to you at the party last night?"

Jesse looked puzzled. "I never saw Aaron at the party last night. Honestly didn't know he or Melody were even there."

The Doctor and Dayle A shared a look. "Why would he lie about that? And where the hell did he go?" Dayle A said, voicing both their thoughts.

The Doctor rubbed his hands together and got a 'things just got interesting' look in his eye. "I think come morning, it may be time to repay Melody Pond a visit."

Dayle concurred.

* * *

After Dayle B and Jesse left, hand in hand, an awkward silence fell over the TARDIS. The Doctor started the dematerialization sequence and leaned against the console. Dayle leaned stiffly beside him still not looking at him.

He didn't know how to do this at all. Didn't quite know what she expected from him. He was beginning to wonder if he'd made a terrible mistake back at the daycare. He sighed.

"Dayle." he started. "Are you still angry with me?"

After a moment of silence (that seemed at least an hour to him) she replied softly, "Of course not."

She turned to him, a half smile on her face. "In case you failed to notice, I got past my anger pretty rapidly back there in the closet."

A small smile played on his face at that. "Yes I suppose you rather did." He tapped his fingers against the console absentmindedly. "Dayle-"

She interrupted him quickly. "Hey. Please don't ruin things by being sorry." Her eyes were imploring. "Don't spoil it. " He nodded his agreement. Cleared his throat.

"Now." he hopped away from the console frenetically, clapped his hands together. "I thought we might go for a little stroll in the woods there beside the apartment complex." He held up his detector device proudly. "I believe this will help us locate exactly where the spaceship is."

Dayle looked intrigued. She touched the gadget curiously. "So how does it work?"

He flipped a switch and pulled out an antennae. The device beeped and three green lights flashed on then back off.

"You see Dayle. All creatures give off their own unique energy, specific not only to the individual, but also identifiable by species. It's like a signature. Humans have their own unique signature, Time Lords have theirs and Zygons have theirs." He held up the device. "This little beauty has the ability to detect a Zygon's energy signature, at its frequency and wavelength.."

She raised her eyebrows, impressed. "So this thing can detect a Zygon. What about the ship?"

He pushed the antennae back and turned it off, placing it in his pocket. "You see, energy is constantly being transferred. A Zygon's ship would be surrounded by quite a lot of Zygon energy."

"Will we be able to use that thing to tell other places a Zygon has been? Like Melody's apartment."

The Doctor smiled. "That, is precisely what I'm counting on."

 _An Hour Later, The Woods_

Dayle was holding on to the sleeve of the the Doctor's jacket as they went deeper into the woods. It was unbelievably dark. After a perfectly clear day, clouds had moved in and covered the moon and stars.

"So, you think maybe you can use your Sonic as a flashlight again? This is some Blair Witch shit out here."

The Doctor glanced at her and smiled. Her fear of the dark woods was a rare display of vulnerability and he found it adorable. He certainly wouldn't dare tell her that. She would likely be furious.

He handed his Sonic to her. "There you are. Point and think."

She looked at him uncertainly, then followed his instructions. The Sonic projected a beam of light in front of them just like a torch. It seemed to put her at ease.

"Why are you so certain his craft is in the woods?" she asked after a while. She was still holding loosely to his sleeve but no longer looked terrified.

He was closely examining his device. One of the greens lights came on and stayed on. He narrowed his eyes. "Just a hunch I have."

They were coming over the crest of a hill when they reached a clearing that was split in two by a country road. The road looked like it hadn't seen tax funded road repairs in decades. Surrounded on two sides by woods, it was about as far off the beaten path as one could get and still be in the city limits of Sugar Creek. It was meant to be lit by streetlights. All the lights appeared to be burnt out.

Dayle inhaled sharply. "Doctor. This place."

The Doctor was now watching the device raptly. Two green lights on. "Yes Dayle." he replied absently.

She tugged at his sleeve, trying to get his attention. "Doctor, this place. What the fuck could this mean?"

He glanced up at the road in front of them and felt a creeping sense of dejavu. _Where have I seen this road before?_

"Doctor, I am certain this is the place. This is the place that was in my mind when I communicated with you psychically. And I've never been to this place before. I'm sure of it." She put her hand to her head looking thoroughly distressed.

The Doctor surveyed the area. He was fairly convinced that Dayle was right. Flashes of their first psychic rendezvous began to play out in his head. Dayle's voice calling to him from across the chasm of space time echoed faintly.

" _Doctor!" A voice through the fog."...You were badly hurt. Are you ok?"_

"This is impossible." He said out loud. "How could you possibly have concocted a place in your mind that you've never been to?"

"Doctor..." Dayle was saying urgently. But he was turning in place, looking around at the road. This road where they had met. Somehow. _There must be a logical explanation._

"Doctor!" She shouted. He finally turned her way. She was holding the Sonic Screwdriver pointed at the ground now, her eyes were huge and she was pointing at his hand.

"Your energy detector. Three green lights. What does that mean exactly?"

The Doctor looked from Dayle to the gadget in his hand. Three green lights.

He swallowed and looked at her with anxiety in his eyes. "It appears we've found what we came to this universe looking for."


	25. Chapter 25

The Doctor was looking all around them now with the Sonic Screwdriver/flashlight.

"So do we think it's just the ship or Arc himself?" Dayle whispered, suddenly very cold.

"I think that... there! Across the clearing in the other side of the woods. Can you see that metal object?" Dayle's heart was racing as she looked where the flashlight's beam was pointing. _Could that be the spaceship?_

The Doctor was already walking slowly in that direction. Dayle followed, shivering both from the cold and fear. _But seriously. Why can't I just make normal friends?_

Once in the woods, the Doctor crouch walked to make himself less visible. Dayle followed suit.

The ship had clearly crashed to earth, they discovered as they followed a trail of debris deeper into the woods. The craft itself was stuck about five feet from the ground in a canopy of bent and broken branches.

Adrenaline had Dayle jacked up and ready to run at the slightest movement anywhere near the crashed ship. The Doctor approached cautiously. He now used his Sonic to scan the wreckage, read the results and stood up a bit straighter.

"No life signs there. Looks too damaged to even climb inside." He narrowed his eyes, once again using the Sonic as a flashlight to peek in the interior of the wreck. He sighed and looked thoroughly disappointed.

"I rather doubt we are going to find anything of use here. Frankly I'm surprised he survived the crash at all. He must have been terribly wounded."

Secretly relieved, Dayle bent and picked up a piece of crumpled metal. She felt a tickle at the back of her mind when she made contact. She dropped the object.

"Whoa." she exclaimed.

The Doctor looked over at her curiously. "What is it Dayle?"

"That piece of metal I picked up. It's... well... it's like it's charged with psychic energy."

The Doctor bent and examined the metal. He pocketed the small piece of debris and brushed his hands off. "Yes, I expect it would be. All of Tregannon technology is made from minerals with telepathic properties. They use psionic energy for nearly everything. But especially as a weapon."

They left the crash site and headed back through the woods.

Dayle suddenly had an interesting thought. "Do you suppose other me has the Focusing Amplifier in this universe?"

The Doctor shrugged as he led the way through the trees. "Well, it seems that your lives were identical up until the birth of Savannah. That appears to be the decision that caused a different outcome. I'd say it's likely that Dayle B has your lucky rock. Though since she has no psychic abilities, for her it would be just that- a rock."

They had come back to the clearing and stopped. Dayle walked up the country road a bit.

The Doctor scratched his head. "Dayle, are you sure you've not been to this area back in your universe? Even as a child or something?"

Dayle looked at him seriously. "That's just what I was trying to tell you. This road doesn't exist in my universe. All of these woods? They were cleared out years ago, when my mom was a kid. A medical center was built on top of all of it."

Now the Doctor looked truly troubled. "How can that be? How could you know about a road that only exists in a parallel universe? With our telepathic connection, you could have only experienced what I was experiencing here and I've certainly never been to this place until now."

"I don't have a clue Time Lord. But I do know that I'm cold, tired and majorly creeped out. So, can we just get back to the TARDIS already?"

They made their way back silently, each in their own head. When they reached the TARDIS, she started to head off to her room while he began tinkering with his detector device again. She paused before entering the corridor.

"Doctor?" she asked, turning around. He looked her way curiously. "Doctor I was just wondering about what happened with us. Earlier in the closet." She was blushing but also getting tingly just thinking about it. "Would you have gone all the way through with it if Dayle B hadn't walked in when she did?"

After a moment of awkward fidgeting, the Doctor grinned, blushing a bit himself. "What do you think, oh wise oracle?" He looked at her innocently.

She thought for a moment back to his hands on her. The urgency with which he had set her up on that counter. His hungry kisses. His lustful thoughts. Yep. It had been a foregone conclusion.

She gave him the dirty little smile. "I think you couldn't have stopped yourself if you'd tried." She looked him up and down. "A damn shame." And with that, she entered the corridor and headed to her room.

* * *

It was the next morning and the Doctor had his detector device ready to go. He had added an alarm mechanism to it the night before so that it would also beep loudly when they encountered Zygon energy. Arc could have been right on top of them last night and he'd been too distracted by the mystery road to notice the lights at first.

"So, are we just going to go knock on Melody's door? What if Aaron is there, right now? What if he _is_ the Zygon?" Dayle was excited but nervous.

"I suspect if Aaron is Arc, he has not returned. He knows for sure we are here. He saw the TARDIS materialize right inside the apartment. He's likely been making plans since." He frowned. "That's what worries me the most. He's been two steps ahead of us this whole time."

They approached Melody's door and exchanged a look. Dayle knocked.

Melody answered, wearing a bathrobe, looking like she'd been crying for about a month.

At the sight of Dayle, she lit up. "Have you heard anything? About Aaron?"

Dayle shook her head sympathetically. "Jesse said he never saw him that night."

Melody sighed melodramatically and invited them in. Dayle and the Doctor entered the apartment and the device in his pocket started to beep slowly.

"What's that?" Melody asked, looking at the two of them.

"It's a-a-a pager. The Doctor has an important phone call he has to take. Can he maybe go somewhere more private?" She tilted her head ever so slightly toward the closed bedroom door. The Doctor nodded surreptitiously.

Melody shrugged and plopped onto the sofa. "Do whatever you like." The Doctor gave Dayle a thumbs up behind Melody's back and headed off to the bedroom area.

As he looked around he could hear bits of the conversation floating to him from the living room.

Dayle was speaking gently. "Remind me how long exactly you and Aaron were a thing?"

"We met at yoga a year and a half ago. He moved in about four months after that. He was always a strange little man. With his bicycle and his strange job..."

The Doctor pulled the device out of his pocket and saw there were no green lights on. And the beeping had stopped. _How odd._ He smacked the device. Shook it. He would have thought the energy would be more concentrated in the bedroom where Melody and Aaron slept. He headed back to the living room, more confused than ever.

"Dayle we really should be going. I have to get to that thing."

Dayle stood and patted Melody on the shoulder. "Please let us know if you hear from him. Maybe there was a family emergency or something and it was so serious he didn't have time to let you know."

Melody looked a bit mystified. "You know, he doesn't really have a family. At least, none that he's talked about. Isn't that peculiar?" She shrugged like it was irrelevant.

The Doctor and Dayle quickly made their exit.

When the door closed, Dayle burst out laughing. The Doctor looked at her disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry." she explained after a moment, wiping her eyes. "I know this situation really isn't funny but... some of the things she told me."

The Doctor gestured impatiently for her to go on.

"His job. He's a street performer." She laughed again. "Quite a catch, let me tell you." Even the Doctor had to giggle a bit at that.

"And worse, he apparently has 'manhood issues'. He won't even sleep with her. He sleeps on the couch."

The Doctor grabbed her shoulders excitedly. "Then that explains it. It explains why the energy signature disappeared in the bedroom." He paused thoughtfully. "I suppose she's actually quite lucky he has such 'manhood issues'."

Dayle giggled some more. "And I suppose that means Zygons don't get horny after all." That cracked the Doctor up. They headed down the hall to check in with Dayle B. The Doctor knocked.

"Can you imagine how self absorbed you would have to be to ignore all those red flags?" Dayle looked positively dumbfounded. "Dude can't drive. Has a creepy job. Has no family to speak of. Won't even screw her." The both shook their heads in amazement.

Dayle B opened the door looking bleary eyed. "I called in to work today. I had to. I couldn't get my mind to shut off when I tried to go to sleep." She ushered them in. "Coffee?" she offered.

They both declined and joined her where she had been sitting at the dining room table, looking through her mail.

"So what's new?" she wondered, looking at the two of them expectantly.

"Well, it's nothing conclusive but I'm fairly certain Aaron is the Zygon. Melody's apartment is rampant with Zygon energy. And the things she's told us about him just don't add up." the Doctor explained. "There's no telling where he's gone. Or if he'll even return."

Dayle B shook her head. "Stranger and stranger. Did you have any luck in finding the ship?" she wondered.

Dayle A nodded. "We did. It was one hell of a crash site." She trailed off, looking unsettled.

The Doctor filled Dayle B in on the details including the mysterious road from their telepathic meeting. Dayle A was looking off into space, silent.

"Well, how the hell is that possible? If neither of you had been there before?" Dayle B looked intrigued.

Dayle A seemed to snap out of her reverie. "Weird question. But do you still have that lucky rock of my mom's? I mean your mom's. Our mom's." She chuckled.

Dayle B looked surprised. "Do you really think mom would give that thing to me? It's practically her talisman. Takes it with her everywhere." She seemed to notice that her counterpart had gone quite pale. "Dayle honey... what is it?"

"A-a-are you saying... are you saying your mom is alive? That she never committed suicide?"

The Doctor felt his hearts sink. The possibility had never even occurred to him.

A look of understanding crossed Dayle B's face and she scooted her chair closer to Dayle A. Took her hand. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

Dayle A asked again, her voice rising a bit. "Your mom. She's alive?"

Dayle B nodded, her eyes full of sympathy. "Yes. My mom is alive."


	26. Chapter 26

**Ahem...The second half of this chapter is definitely for grown folks. Stars will officially be colliding if you catch my drift. If you are not prepared for the sexy, you might want to stop reading when the Doctor finds Dayle in her bedroom. Ye have been warned. -Ruinous79**

* * *

Dayle A had gotten up without a word and left the apartment, slamming the door behind her. She heard the Doctor behind her a ways down the hall and she headed for the stairs to avoid being stuck in an elevator with him. She was furious. The rage inside her was boiling, about to burst out and she didn't want him to catch the brunt of it.

He followed her down the stairs, keeping a distance. He was giving her some space but he also wanted to be sure she was ok. So very like him.

She got to the lobby before she lost it. Dayle cried like she hadn't cried in years. She ran out the door and headed toward the woods. She needed to be away from everything right now. Everything in this ridiculous universe. She stopped running and leaned against a tree.

 _It wasn't fucking fair._ She wiped her streaming eyes and irrationally hated Dayle B with the fire of a thousand suns in that moment.

The Doctor had caught up to her. He approached her cautiously, apparently no longer able to keep his distance.

"Dayle," he began gently. "In parallel universes there are fundamental physical constants that remain. They are invariant, like the majority of your town and your own existence. But there are also different physical properties..." He reached for her and she shook him off.

"Fuck all that. Fuck the universe, this one and my own." She kicked a tree as hard as she could. It hurt like hell but she wasn't about to let him know it. She looked at him, throwing her arms up. "Well I guess we were wrong. It wasn't the decision to keep Savannah that set my life on its course. The game was rigged from the start. My mom killing herself. Not having her there in my life." she wasn't crying much now but was still very angry. "Didn't I just win the jackpot in the fate lottery? Unfuckingbelievable." She turned her back on him.

The Doctor just stood nearby helplessly. He had nothing to offer her but his presence. They stood in silence until he finally spoke up.

"Dayle B is very upset." he told her. "She feels terrible and is afraid you are angry with her."

That snapped Dayle out of her feelings a bit. Logically, she knew it wasn't the other Dayle's fault and she didn't want her to feel badly. She sighed and shook her head.

"I'm not angry with her." she told him, turning to look at him now. He was studying her with inscrutable hazel eyes. He was very worried about her, she suddenly realized. She went to him and allowed him to wrap her in his arms. She leaned against his chest, listening to his heartsbeat. He stroked her head.

"You are who you are because of what you've been through." he said softly. "There is a fundamental difference between you and Dayle B because of your different lives." He pulled back a bit and looked deeply into her eyes. "A toughness. And something else I can't exactly describe. And it's what drew me to you." He brushed her hair from her eyes tenderly. "I am sorry for how hard you've had it. But I am not sorry for the person it's made you into."

He kissed her then. Sweetly, softly. She felt his feelings wash over her, all at once. It was love. It was definitely love. _Damn._

 _Dayle B's Apartment, Later that evening_

Dayle A and the Doctor had gone back to the TARDIS for a while after her emotional episode. She needed to go for a run to get rid of any residual anger before she saw the other Dayle again. She couldn't help but notice the Doctor stayed far away from her during the workout. Resisting temptation she supposed. Later she sort of hoped to make temptation irresistible for him.

But. For now they were interested in the story behind Dayle's mom's lucky rock. It might have no bearing on their current situation but it would certainly be good to know. Plus Dayle just had this feeling eating away at her.

That's why they were back at Dayle B's apartment. Dayle B and Jesse were drinking some seriously hard drinks. Dayle A and the Doctor were mostly amused by how how silly they were while tipsy.

Jesse was definitely being very affectionate with his fiance now, Dayle A mused. It was like his secret had kept him from opening up to her. Now they were as thick as thieves. She was genuinely happy for them.

When they had arrived at the apartment an hour ago, Dayle A had immediately pulled her counterpart aside. She'd given her a big hug and told her "It's not your fault the universe has a twisted sense of humor." Dayle B had looked grateful.

Now Dayle B was telling them about how her mom had gotten the Focusing Amplifier.

"To her it was just a good luck charm. Said she found it out at the lake. That was the day she met my dad. Your dad. Our dad." She grinned.

"But dad was a total asshole. At least he was in my universe." Dayle A leaned forward, listening raptly.

"Same in this universe. He was an alcoholic and an addict. And he ran out on us. But. He was the love of mom's life." Dayle B shrugged and looked sad. "Says to this day she's not felt the same way about another man. And plus he gave her Lynette and me. So. She felt it was good luck. Despite the shit he put her through later. Despite the hard times we went through. It was good luck."

Dayle A teared up and thought of her own life. Her good luck rock. She thought of Savannah and of Ember. She thought of the fact that she had survived in spite of it all. She thought of what a gift Savannah was to her. How precious Ember was. That she still had them with her and the unbreakable bond they shared. She supposed she had been pretty lucky too.

Jesse lifted his head from the sofa where he was laying, nearly comatose. "It's a shame you can't join us for a drink. You could definitely stand to loosen up." His head fell back to the cushion. They all laughed at him.

"No. I'm feeling ok actually." She looked over at the Doctor and realized he'd been staring at her. He looked away quickly. She felt butterflies and smiled. She also felt suddenly ready for bed.

* * *

The Doctor and Dayle A were saying their good byes, ready to head back to the TARDIS and leave the two lovebirds to sleep off their evening of drinking. Jesse was already snoring loudly on the couch.

When the Doctor reached the door, Dayle B said "Hey Lord of Fucking Time. Can we have a word in my office?" she gestured unsteadily to the kitchen.

Dayle A rolled her eyes and smirked. "I'm heading down. I could use the fresh air." She exited.

The Doctor joined Dayle B in the kitchen. She was pouring another vodka and cranberry for herself. He was amazed that the small woman had actually outdrank her large fiance.

"So. What's happening?" she asked, bumping into his side playfully.

The Doctor had a feeling he knew to what she was referring, but attempted to dodge the subject. "Well, for the moment, we will wait and see if Aaron reappears. If he doesn't, I suppose we will have to attempt to locate his whereabouts..."

"Doc. I'm not asking about the damn Zygon. I'm asking about the damn girl. What's the deal with you two?" She smiled and stirred her drink.

The Doctor fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, what has she told you?" he wondered.

Dayle giggled and sipped at her drink. "That you make her feel good. And that the feeling is mutual. And it certainly looked as if the two of you were feeling pretty good in that closet."

He leaned on the kitchen counter and sighed. "She does make me feel good. But. Nothing can ever come of it. She'll go back to her life and I'll return to mine traveling in the TARDIS. It wouldn't do us any good to keep getting closer when it will just have to end eventually."

Dayle snorted. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard dude." He looked at her, surprised. She rolled her eyes as if he were truly thick. "If this is the only time you will get to spend with her, then seize that shit. Make the most of it. A very smart alien once told me that life doesn't just happen to you. You have to happen to it." How she managed to be both wise and extremely intoxicated at the same time was anybody's guess.

The Doctor became very serious. "That woman... That woman has lost so much in her life. She has been let down again and again. She has been assaulted and abandoned. She had very nearly given up on life when I first met her. Now, she has everything headed in the right direction. A real chance at happiness. What right do I have to come along and interfere with that?" He looked down at the counter. "Dayle, you must understand. I can't be just another mishap in her life that leaves a scar. I won't be that."

Dayle B softened, set down her drink. "You asked me what she told me. Well, here it is. When you met her, she was completely lost. And you helped her to see that she had a chance. Then, something started happening between the two of you and she started feeling things that she was afraid she'd never feel again. She said she thought she had killed those feelings in herself somehow. And now here she is, getting butterflies." Dayle smiled. "She said you make her feel new. I suspect you may leave a mark on her life Doctor. But it won't be a scar. There's no way."

 _He made her feel new._ How extraordinary. The Doctor sat heavily on a counter height stool.

Dayle walked over and put her arm over his shoulder. "She's not a kid. She knows this thing is impossible. But she sure is enjoying the hell out of it while it lasts. I suggest you do the same."

She picked up her drink and sipped it. Hiccuped. He stood, a bit unsteady himself now, and headed for the door. She followed to see him out.

He turned suddenly, nervous. "So what do I do now?"

Dayle B scoffed. "You don't know? Doctor come on. She wants the D." she started to giggle. The Doctor was puzzled for a moment, wondering what she could possibly mean, then he got it.

His eyes got huge and he tried to back through the closed door, thoroughly flustered. "Ok, well that's very nice." he sputtered, trying to sound offended but mostly just sounding embarrassed. "Thank you for your valuable words of wisdom." He struggled with the door knob.

Jesse suddenly lifted his head from the sofa, looked at him bleary-eyed and said "Seriously bruh. It's obvious. She wants the D." His head dropped back to the cushion.

The Doctor retreated and closed the apartment door. Straightened his jacket. _Indeed_.

 _Back in the TARDIS_

When he got back to the TARDIS, Dayle wasn't in the control room. He checked the kitchenette. Then the library. Then he took a deep breath and headed to her bedroom. Rapped lightly on the door.

"Come in." she called softly.

Dayle was laying on her stomach on the bed reading a book from his library, wearing only panties and a bra. His hearts nearly stopped. Her backside in the white lace panties was breathtaking. He forced his eyes to go elsewhere.

She looked up at him and smiled, seemingly unbothered by her lack of clothing. She stretched and sat up. "So. What did Dayle the Lush want to talk about? Was she just being nosy?"

It took a moment for him to find his voice. "Yes. She was definitely being nosy. And inappropriate."

That had Dayle laughing. "Sounds about right." She paused, looking up at him. "Would you like to come sit here with me or are you just going to ogle me from the doorway?" She patted the spot beside her.

Rationality be damned, the Doctor found himself drawn forward to the bed. He sat down beside her and his eyes couldn't help but take in every inch of her body. She scooted very close to him, so they were nearly face to face.

"Was there anything else you wanted to teach me?" she whispered with a sparkle in her eye. "About time and space? Stars and carbon detonation?"

She leaned forward and kissed him then. It started out gently, just her soft lips on his, her hand against the side of his face. It felt so good. Quite right actually.

He wasn't sure how his hands ended up on her naked thighs but things started to get a bit more serious after that. Her mouth opened, her hands pulled his face closer to deepen the kiss. He felt their tongues touch and he started to feel that runaway fusion reaction he'd taught her about in the closet. Only now he was the one burning out of control.

She pulled away and stood suddenly, reached back and unfastened her bra, let it fall to the floor. She stood before him, took his hands and ran them up her body, stopping when they covered her breasts. He stood to join her and his hands began caressing her chest, seemingly of their own accord. He marveled at her smooth skin. Her passionate kiss let him know that she approved.

One of her hands made its way slowly down his chest, all the way down his stomach to the front of his trousers and she touched him. He moaned into her mouth because he literally couldn't help it. She made a little agreeable noise in response and started to unbutton his trousers.

Part of his mind wanted him to pull away, slow things down. Extinguish the fire beginning in his stomach before it consumed him completely. But Dayle had been absolutely right, he realized as she reached inside his trousers. He couldn't stop himself now if he tried.

When her fingertips made contact with bare skin, he sucked in a breath. It did something primal to him and suddenly kissing her was no longer enough to satisfy him. All at once he realized what he really needed was her body under his. It was animalistic, this feeling. It was madness.

He all but threw her down on the center of the bed and climbed on top of her. He was kissing her roughly now. One of his hands moved down her smooth stomach and eased into the front of her underwear. He touched her where he had only touched her before through her clothing. She gasped and moaned _"Oh yes."_ into his ear. That drove him even madder.

He sat up then, threw his jacket off and undid his bow tie. Couldn't get the shirt off fast enough.

Dayle leaned back into the pillows and watched him undress, her blue eyes full of desire. For him.

When he was down to just his pants, he laid back down beside her. Her face was flushed, her pupils dilated. He could only imagine how he must look. He laid on his side facing her and nuzzled her neck. He began to kiss her softly on all the spots that drove her absolutely crazy. His hand went back down the front of her knickers and this time he showed her that he meant business.

She was moaning over and over again, breathing heavily. He thought he was doing pretty well until she whispered " _Oh Doctor."_ and reciprocated with her hand down his pants. Her touch in this moment was very nearly too much. He gasped against her neck. He knew immediately that this was about to end before it could even begin.

He pulled her hand away and flipped her onto her back, laid across her body and pinned her wrists with his hands.

"Geronimo." she whispered and giggled.


	27. Chapter 27

Dayle woke up from a deep sleep and at first thought the events of the night before were just some amazing dream. She was alone in the bed after all and she didn't usually experience that level of satisfaction outside of her fantasies. She sat up and noticed the Doctor's jacket was on the floor where he'd flung it in his haste to get undressed. Her cheeks burned with the memory. _Holy shit._

"So that happened." she said quietly to herself. She wondered where he'd gone off to but decided she needed a shower first to regroup before facing him. She picked up his abandoned tweed jacket and set it with care across the back of a chair.

In the shower, her mind wandered over the past few days. She started thinking again about Dayle B's mother. Her mother. Not just because she was burning with curiosity to meet the woman but also the fact that she was in possession of the very alien technology that had started all this parallel universe craziness. It made her uneasy.

While she was pondering these things, every now and then she was assaulted with a flash from last night and her heart would leap, her stomach start to flutter. She leaned against the shower wall, letting the hot spray wash over her. She had to face facts. The Doctor had surprised her. She had known that they had amazing chemistry. But. She honestly didn't think he was capable of letting go like that.

Of course he was a bit awkward and nervous in the beginning but once he'd reached a certain point, he had not been playing around. She had another jolt of pleasure when she remembered him throwing her on the bed, climbing on top of her. It had all been a revelation. How he'd touched her. How he'd whispered dirty things in her ear in the throes of passion. He became very caveman when he was turned on and it was making her hot just thinking about it. She was wondering if it had been a one time thing or if there would be repeat performances.

Once dressed she decided she couldn't put if off any longer and headed for the control room. The Doctor was laying on his back, half under the console tinkering with some gizmo.

She cleared her throat softly, leaned against the console. "Hey there Time Lord. How long have you been up and about?"

He pulled himself out from beneath the control panel and stood up, wiping his hands on a cloth. He glanced over at her, smiled uncomfortably. "Pretty much since right after you'd fallen asleep." He busied himself with the TARDIS computer, his body language making it clear he wanted to be left alone.

 _Seriously? We're doing this?_ Apparently even alien dudes weren't above spoiling the afterglow for a girl with their moody bullshit. A 'good morning', a little warmth weren't too much to ask for.

Dayle rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchenette and coffee. She decided she would give him his space to work out whatever the fuck was bugging him. Maybe he was embarrassed. Maybe he was confused about his feelings. His feelings for her, of course, were the one thing she was pretty clear on. Every touch, every kiss, she had felt his love wash over her. She was sure that was part of what made it so damn good.

The thing was, she loved the Doctor too. But for once in her life, love felt good. It was easy and pain free. She wasn't worried about what came next. She wasn't concerned with owning him or being walked out on. What they had was somehow enough. Even if he never touched her in that way again. Even if he dropped her off at home right now. He would always have a place in her heart. He had made her feel so much. He had made her new again.

She sat at the little bistro table with her coffee and planned out her day. She wondered if it might be a good idea to go do a little detective work on her own today, leave the grouchy alien to his own devices. There were other things in play here, outside of just the identity of the Zygon. She knew she wasn't going to be able to rest until she'd solved the mystery of the untraveled road. And she really, really wanted to see her mom. She knew Dayle B had to work this morning. _Probably had one hell of a hangover_ , she thought with a chuckle. She'd have to give her a call to ask about her mom.

She finished her coffee and headed back to the console room, intending to tell the Doctor of her plans for the day. He was sitting in the jumpseat looking over a print out. He sighed in disgust and flung it to the floor as she walked toward where he sat.

"Dude. What's got you in such a mood? Did something happen?" She was actually starting to get concerned about him.

He looked at her almost scornfully, his eyes devoid of their usual warmth and kindness. "What's happened? What's happened is that this creature, this Arc has pulled me into a nightmare situation and while he's out body snatching and doing who knows what else, you are pulling me into all this unnecessary human drama. What I need to be doing is focusing on locating him, fixing the problem and getting you back home to your children."

Dayle felt like she'd been slapped in the face. " _I'm sorry?"_

He stood with his arms crossed. "Look. I never said I was going to be your boyfriend. You knew all along that this would never work. And it's utterly absurd to pretend otherwise."

"Hold on just a fuckin minute." Tears of frustration came to her eyes. She had never expected this. "You don't have to be a total dick just because we can't be together forever. I'm not asking anything of you. I'm your friend. I care about you."

He straightened his bow tie and turned away from her. "You've never even gotten to know me as a friend. For goodness sake, you've been trying to have me in your bed since the day we met." He turned back toward her, arms out dramatically. "So, you got what you wanted. Are you happy now?"

Yeah. Now she was fucking pissed. "Listen, I'm not sure what kind of little episode you're having right now, but that's quite enough. All this bullshit right here," she waved her finger at him, "has nothing to do with me. This is about you. You need to deal with your goddamn feelings like a grown up." She turned and headed toward the corridor.

"Oh shall I deal with my feelings like a grown up like you do, eh? Maybe you can get me in touch with one of your connections? I could do with a fix right about now."

She stopped. She felt something icy squeeze at her heart. For just that one little moment, every bit of progress she'd made, every part of herself she'd improved ceased to exist for her. She felt like nothing more than the motel dwelling skank she'd been the day she met him. Of course, she realized, tears pouring down her face, that was only a few days ago for him.

She turned slowly and looked at him, speechless. He met her eyes for just a moment, then looked away quickly. Her mind went back to last night, right before he'd made love to her. He was right on the verge of going through with it when he'd stopped and looked in her eyes breathlessly. She heard him say in his mind what he wouldn't say out loud. _Please don't regret this._ She'd kissed him and whispered "Never."

She had been so very wrong.

* * *

Dayle had left the console room without another word and retreated to her bedroom. And there were no words for how absolutely terrible he felt for what he'd just said. It actually caused him physical pain. He leaned on his elbows against the console, his hand covering his mouth.

She had been right. This had nothing to do with her. There was nothing wrong with her and she'd done nothing wrong.

He just felt absolutely unbalanced after what had transpired between the two of them. It had been earth shattering and intense and quite honestly he didn't know why humans didn't spend all their time doing that sort of thing. But he had never felt so powerless in all his lives. He knew she was aware of every sentiment, every impression, every response he had for her. For once, the 1100 year old Time Lord felt open as a book. And the worst thing was, he had no idea what she was feeling about him. And if he was honest, the thought that he would soon have to take her home and never see her again was more than he could bear at the moment.

So he had gotten angry about all of it and took it out on her. Like a child. _Well done Doctor. Certainly won't be leaving a scar on her now, will you?_

Suddenly she stormed from the corridor past him, headed for the door of the TARDIS. He stood up and tried to stop her. "Dayle, please..."

She turned and looked at him with absolute contempt. She pointed at him. "You need to leave me the fuck alone right now."

"Please just..." he tried again.

She held her hand up, shook her head like it was taking effort not to physically harm him. "Don't talk. You've said more than enough. I'm going to see my mother today and I'm going to try to figure out what the significance is of that country road. You stay in your little time machine and be scientific or whatever. And keep away from me. I'll be back later. Who knows, maybe we can get this all worked out today and we can head right on back to our universe and you can be rid of me. I promise you right now, that time couldn't come soon enough." And then she walked out.

He stood frozen to the spot. He knew he should go after her but honestly had no clue what he could possibly say for himself. She had every right to hate him for how he'd treated her. He sat and put his head in his hands. He supposed he needed to get in touch with her counterpart. He had to be sure that, even if he messed everything else up, he kept Dayle safe.

He needed his mobile phone. He patted himself and realized he wasn't wearing his jacket. After searching around the control room, he finally realized where he must have left it.

He sighed and made his way to her room. The bed was unmade and he had to stop himself from dwelling on what he had done to her on that very bed. His jacket wasn't on the floor where he was sure he'd thrown it. He saw that she had picked it up and laid it across a chair with care. Of course she had. Because she was careful with the way she treated everyone that mattered to her. He could only shake his head at himself.

He felt around in the pockets. No phone. Wonderful! Back to square one. He wondered if Dayle had taken it with her to get ahold of Dayle B. It stood to reason.

About then, he both felt and heard the unmistakable BONG of the cloister bell. He looked around anxiously. _What now?_

He hurried to the console room, took a look at the scanner. The message he read there stopped his hearts cold. It was a warning from the TARDIS's galactic monitor. He'd programmed it to keep watch on the black hole, the wormhole they'd come through. The wormhole they'd created in the first place. And it appeared that it was in danger of collapsing.

He wasted no time and ran back into his library, muttering some creative swear words he'd learned from his time with Dayle. There was a specific book he had in mind. It talked at length about characteristics and behaviors of wormholes. He found it and settled in to research. At this point it didn't matter to him if they never found the Zygon. Because if he broke his promise to Dayle about getting her back to her kids, nothing else in this universe or any other would matter to him.

 _The Tardis, Four hours Later_

The Doctor was hard at work on his calculations when he heard a loud BUMP and " _Ouch_!" followed by a string of swear words.

"HEY! Where the hell are you jackass?" The angry voice of Dayle B floated to him from outside.

He opened the door and she looked at him, startled. She walked in wearing pastel scrubs, looking around in wonder.

"Yes, I can make the TARDIS invisible and yes it's very impressive." He said in a flat voice. "Now where's the other Dayle?"

That stopped her in her tracks. "What do you mean where's the other Dayle? Has she not been back here?"

The Doctor looked at her, suddenly very alert. "What do you mean?"

"Well she called me earlier today- quite upset, I might add- wanting information about my mom. I told her the address and said Jesse would be more than happy to let her use the Audi to go over there. She said she was headed upstairs. And... well Jesse said she never showed up at the door." She crossed her arms and blinked at him. "I figured she must have come back down here to beat the shit out of you. Because that's what I told her she should do." Her eyes were hard and he could see she was very angry with him.

The Doctor scratched his head. "Yes, well. I'll admit it wasn't my finest moment. I-I-I didn't know how to handle that sort of thing. The aftermath was... And anyway, it's your fault. You're the one who put me up to crossing that line!"

"Motherfucker, I told you to rock her world, I didn't tell you to crush her will to live. What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you even say such a thing to her?" Dayle B looked like she was genuinely hurt for her counterpart.

The Doctor wasn't pleased to know that the two seemed to share everything with one another. "Alright" he said, shaking his head. "Where else might she have gone? Did she mention anything else to you."

"Well, she actually had said something about stopping in to check on Melody..." She looked at him, her eyes growing wider. "Doctor do you think...?"

He was already out of the TARDIS running toward the apartment building.


	28. Chapter 28

The Doctor had reached the sixth floor bypassing the elevator and running for all he was worth up the stairs. He headed straight for Melody's apartment. He knocked loudly several times and shouted Melody's name through the door. He got no response. By then Dayle B had caught up with him.

She was out of breath. "Try the knob." she suggested. He did and found it locked.

They looked at each other. She shrugged. "Sonic that bitch." He obliged.

They entered Melody's living room to find it in utter disarray. A small mirror knocked off the wall, shattered. The coffee table had been set on end. A potted plant broken, soil everywhere. The Doctor felt the knot in his stomach grow larger. When they walked around the sofa, they found Melody herself lifeless on the floor.

"Oh my GOD!' Dayle B yelled. She immediately went to her neighbor and checked for a pulse.

The Doctor ran further into the apartment shouting for Dayle. He burst into the back bedroom and found nothing out of order. No sign of her at all. He was beside himself. If anything had happened to her...

"Doctor! She's coming around!" He headed back out to the living room and found Dayle B knelt on the floor helping Melody up to a sitting position. He crouched there in front of her, watched her eyelids flutter. She took a deep breath in and coughed.

The Doctor examined her arm, pointed to a raised purple welt. "It look like she's been stung. The effects can last several hours but she should be alright." He did a quick scan with his Sonic, saw her vitals were fairly stable.

"Melody..." he said softly. "Are you alright? What's happened?" He watched as her eyes came into focus on him.

A look of panic came over her. "Mrs. Anderson!" she croaked, coughing some more.

Dayle B looked from Melody to the Doctor in confusion. "Mrs. Anderson?"

Melody sat up a bit straighter at the sound of Dayle's voice. "Dayle! You're Ok! When I saw that... that creature grab you, I-I-I tried to hit it with my English Ivy plant. And that just made it mad and it... it zapped me with something. That's the last thing I remember." She put a hand to her head, confused.

The Doctor stood up, feeling numb. He paced. "Melody. The creature. Why was it here? When exactly did Aaron return?"

Melody still looked disoriented but her wits were returning quickly. " _Aaron?_ " She gave an angry little laugh. "What's he got to do with anything? That bastard apparently cleaned out my bank account and ran off to Florida with some female mime he'd met while busking out on Euclid avenue."

The Doctor and Dayle B looked at each other, speechless at the news.

Melody held out her hand for help up. He and Dayle B both pulled her to her feet. She swayed a bit but made it to the sofa.

Dayle B was beyond confused. "Well who the fuck was the creature then!?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you! It was Mrs. Anderson! She comes nearly every morning to give me knitting lessons. She was here as usual and we had our tea and watched a little Downton Abbey together. There was a knock at the door a-a-and it was Dayle and when she walked in..." Melody shook her head, clearly having trouble accepting what she'd witnessed. "When she walked in, Mrs. Anderson just changed. It was like her body melted away leaving behind a giant red cockroach thing. It was horrible!" She was shaking.

"Who is Mrs. Anderson?" The Doctor asked Dayle B, mystified.

"The old woman down the hall. With the cane. You and Dayle A were on the elevator with her the day you came back." Dayle B gasped, her hand to her mouth. "Arc must have taken her!"

Melody was looking at her oddly. " _Dayle A_? What is that supposed to mean."

The Doctor looked around the room, searching for any sign that Dayle, _his_ Dayle had indeed been here this morning. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to believe that perhaps she'd gone off on her own to investigate the things she'd mentioned. That Melody was somehow mistaken.

"Doctor what should we do? Does Arc have Dayle now?" Dayle B's voice was urgent. But something more urgent had caught the Doctor's attention.

He walked slowly to where the mirror was shattered near the apartment door. He knelt down among the reflective shards, some crunching beneath his shoes. He picked up his mobile phone with a shaking hand.

Dayle B groaned. "Oh shit. Is that your phone? That's what she called me from this morning."

"Who is _she_!?" Melody wondered, growing impatient with being left out of the loop.

He pressed a button, lighting up the now cracked screen. Dayle had been in the process of texting Dayle B. She'd never gotten to finish the message, let alone hit send. _"Arc is here tell..."_ was as far as she'd gotten.

Dayle B was trying her best to explain a second Dayle to Melody without much luck. He had all but tuned them out at this point, his pulses pounding inside his head, his jaw clenching. The Doctor was enraged.

But it was nothing compared to what he felt when he noticed the mostly dried blood he was standing in. There was a puddle about the size of a fist. There were also small drops of blood on the phone...and on the door frame...and on the carpet leading out into the hallway.

He turned slowly and looked at the two women. They stopped talking immediately when they saw his ice cold expression. "Show me to Mrs. Anderson's apartment." he demanded sharply.

 _Mrs. Anderson's Apartment, Moments Later_

"What's happened to this place?" Melody whispered, looking around incredulously. She'd followed the Doctor and Dayle B through the door after he'd gained entry with the Sonic.

The apartment was sparsely lit, most of the light bulbs apparently removed. Vegetation had somehow overtaken the apartment which was dank as a cave. Alien vines and fronds climbed the walls and ceiling. The furniture was covered with some type of unspeakable organic matter. Thick strands of red pulsating material ran from ceiling to floor in some areas. The smell was nothing nice either.

"This is fucking disgusting." Dayle B said distastefully, covering her nose with the top of her scrub shirt.

The Doctor pointed the Sonic Screwdriver around what once was a living room, scanning. The results told him it had been in this condition for a full three years. Which meant Arc had come directly here and had taken over Mrs. Anderson's life upon entering this universe.

"You two hang back." His voice was grim. "I'm going to check the bedroom. There's no telling what I might find there."

He opened the door and found the room in much the same condition as the rest of the old woman's home. Only, back in the bedroom, the Doctor also spotted a large, red shape in a dark corner. The Doctor used his Sonic as a torch and discovered that it was a body print containment receptacle.

He ran toward it, removed several layers of red sludge and managed to tear the top cover off. The old woman was curled up unconscious inside. She'd been there, immobile for three years, being kept alive by the pod's life support system. He lifted her out gently, laid her down on the floor and scanned her with the Sonic. About then Dayle B's patience had run out and she ran back to join him, Melody following at a distance.

"Dammit!" Dayle B groaned. "Is she dead?" She fell to her knees and touched her motionless neighbor's arm gently.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. But I've no idea what sort of condition she's in either. Mentally I mean. I don't know what sort of level of awareness she's had this whole time. It's quite possible the last thing she remembers is three years ago."

Mrs. Anderson's eyes suddenly flew open. She blinked and looked around the dim room. She sat up without any help and gazed in confusion at the faces surrounding her.

"Holy crap!" The old woman rasped, rubbing the back of her neck. "I had this crazy dream some big red rubbery monster covered in suckers broke into my apartment." She narrowed her eyes at the Doctor. "What on earth is the electric guy doing here?"

Dayle B and Melody helped Mrs. Anderson up while the Doctor further searched the bedroom. Normally Zygons kept a large super computer at their base. They used organic technology and their ships and computers were partially biological. But from River, he knew that Arc had made it to this universe with only a portable one. If it had survived the crash, Arc had likely taken it with him when he'd taken Dayle... He clenched his teeth and tears came to his eyes at the thought of her being hurt. He wiped his hand over his face and turned to face the women.

"Right, Dayle B, take Mrs. Anderson back to your apartment and check her over. Get her tea, something to eat. Make sure she's warm. You know, the whole nursey thing." He rubbed his hands together frenetically. "Before I go, I will need you to give me your mother's address. I have a strange feeling about that other Focusing Amplifier."

Dayle B fixed him with a withering stare. "If you think I'm just going to stay behind and play nursemaid, you haven't learned a damn thing about me." She crossed her arms, raised her eyebrows. "Jesse and I will both be coming with you."

The Doctor gestured helplessly.

"And I'm coming too." Melody stated firmly. She crossed her arms as well.

The Doctor looked over at Melody then. She was trying so hard to look brave in the face of all this strangeness. He smiled faintly. He had a whole new respect for her. Vapid she may be but she had put herself in harm's way trying to protect Dayle.

"Ok, you" he said, gesturing to Dayle B, "get Mrs. Anderson to your apartment. Make her comfortable and then you and Jesse meet us out at the TARDIS."

He walked over and took Melody by the hand. "Come along Pond."


	29. Chapter 29

" _Come on old girl. Someone's in trouble."_

" _What about this has you so skittish?"_

" _Calling space capsule, this is the Doctor in the TARDIS. Can anyone hear me?"_

 _A bell tolling. A deafening alarm buzzing. A blinding flash._

 _Dayle awoke on a Monday morning in Shawn's motel room. It was raining. She sat and smoked, feeling sorry for herself. Got ready and went to work before Shawn could wake._

Dayle tossed in her sleep and turned over, mumbling.

" _What on earth are you doing in my hallway? What the HELL has happened to you?"_

" _I don't know any professors. Is she supposed to live in this apartment building?"_

" _My neighbor is a nurse. Let's just pop over and see if she might be of any help..."_

 _Dayle was awoken on a Tuesday by her friend Clari's three year old son. She was excited. She'd get to see Savannah today, spend time with her at the library. First, she should attend an NA meeting though._

Dayle regained consciousness all at once, like being startled awake from a dream of falling. She couldn't recall the details of her dream but found herself recalling instead the words from a book on parallel universes she'd read a full three years ago in a booth at Waffle House.

"There's no such thing as a road untraveled. Yet each such road- each reality- is hidden from all others."

She tried to sit up and realized she was in the woods and it was dark. And worse, her hands were tied together tightly in front of her. She was bound at the ankles too. She shook her head trying to clear it and that was when the pain hit her.

"Oh god." She groaned. She raised her arms in a futile gesture, trying to touch her face. She could tell she was bleeding and her nose throbbed. She wondered if it was broken. The side of her head hurt as well. She attempted to sit fully upright, managed to scoot herself to lean against a tree.

She remembered the disgusting creature in Melody's apartment then and gasped. "Motherfucker cold cocked me." she muttered bitterly.

Just then, a growl came from off to her right. A gargly whisper, "Dayle Mossssss..." the Zygon hissed.

Dayle swung around to face the creature. He was even more ghastly than she could have imagined and she was truly terrified. But she'd sooner die than let this bastard know it. She straightened her back, made a disgusted face. "Arc I presume?" she said calmly.

Arc's expression was difficult to read, seeing as he was an alien being that Dayle had never seen before (at least not in his true form). But she was satisfied to detect a bit of surprise that she knew his name.

"So you and your Time Lord did your homework." he whispered ominously. "Is that why you followed me into this universe?"

Dayle played dumb. "I don't know what you mean. I've always been in this universe. I'm a nurse and I have a lovely apartment that I share with my fiance Jesse. No Time Lords here."

The Zygon chuckled, a wet gargly sound like a backed up drain and Dayle threw up in her mouth a little. The Doctor had failed to mention how fucking disgusting these things were.

"You are not the Dayle of this universe." Arc hissed confidently. "You reek of the Time Lord with whom you share a bed."

Dayle blushed despite herself but recovered quickly. She set her jaw and got straight to the point. "What the hell do you want with me?"

Arc was silent for a moment, perhaps deciding how much to tell her. Finally he whispered simply "The Focusing Amplifier. I want it."

Dayle felt her heart skip a beat but maintained her poker face. "Well that's just too goddamn bad, isn't it? We threw it into the black hole and it was destroyed."

Arc took a few steps closer to where she sat on the ground. He loomed over her threateningly. She closed her eyes, wondering if he would hit her again.

"Not the Focusing Amplifier from our universe." He hissed impatiently. "The Focusing Amplifier from this one."

Dayle opened her eyes and looked up at him when she realized he wasn't going to get violent. Cleared her throat. "And what makes you so sure there even _is_ one in this universe?"

The Zygon smiled a frightening smile. "I was told by a good friend when I first came to this universe. When I first escaped, thanks to you."

Dayle couldn't help but laugh. "You mean to tell me, you been hanging around in some old broad's body for _three_ years looking for this thing? And you still ain't found it?"

Arc growled angrily and Dayle immediately regretted her mocking tone. As much as she wanted to be a badass, she knew this huge red fucker could end her and she might never get to see her girls again.

Arc didn't lay a finger on her. Instead he explained in his gargly whisper, "When I first got here, I was gravely injured. It took months to recover. And then I started to keep an eye on Dayle. I would visit her in her apartment as Mrs. Anderson. Got to know her. And scanned for Tregannon technology. I soon realized, it was not in her possession."

Arc reached down then and caressed her forehead with his three clawed hand affectionately. She winced. "And I also realized that she is not telepathic like you."

Dayle looked at him, swallowed nervously. "So what do you want from _me_ then?" Her voice was hollow.

"When the two of you first arrived, I was afraid that I would be detected, and swiftly defeated. That the Time Lord would take me back through the wormhole, turn me in for my crimes. I didn't know then how... distracted he was. Now your arrival seems a gift." He smiled his horrible smile once more. "You will help me find it." The certainty with which he said this last part unsettled Dayle most of all.

* * *

"So what are we doing? Getting the Focusing Whatsit from my mom so you can link to Dayle telepathically like last time?" Dayle B wondered. She and Jesse were crowded into a jumpseat together holding tightly to each other's hands. It was the first time for both of them to take a trip in the TARDIS and they were at once excited and nervous.

Melody was still somewhat beside herself. The Doctor glanced at her, sitting on the floor against one wall, looking traumatized. He sighed. Perhaps she shouldn't have come along after all.

He turned to Dayle B. "No that can't work. The Focusing Amplifier was able to enhance Dayle's telepathic abilities of _knowing_ when it was in her possession. A Time Lord's telepathy works a bit differently and cannot be enhanced by Tregannon Technology in the same way. The connection worked only because her psionic energy reached out to me."

He really didn't know why he needed to see the other Focusing Amplifier. Perhaps it was merely because it had seemed so important to Dayle. And because he trusted her instincts.

"Right. To Lenore Byers' house, 1860 Shadow Pines drive." He pulled a lever and the TARDIS began to dematerialize.

"Will we be back by tomorrow?" Melody suddenly asked nobody in particular. Her voice sounded odd.

Dayle B looked at the Doctor like _Why the hell did you bring her?_ He made an apologetic face.

Melody continued. "Because tomorrow is Manicure Monday and my nails are quite a sight."

The Doctor froze at her words. "Wait a mo. Melody say that again." He took several steps toward her, looked at her expectantly.

Melody looked at him, confused. "Uhh... tomorrow is Manicure Monday...?"

The Doctor's eyes got wide. "And the day after is Yoga Tuesday, correct?" She nodded numbly.

He clapped his hands, "Of course!" He spun around, pointing. "Dayle B, when I came here three years ago, it was on Yoga Tuesday, am I right?"

Dayle B looked at him like he'd lost every last one of his marbles. "Yeah... I think so." She stared at him blankly, awaiting further explanation.

"And I was only in your flat, only in this universe for that one day, correct?" He was getting excited.

Dayle B still had no idea where this was going. "You healed so fast I thought I was losing my damn mind. But you arrived late Tuesday morning and left late Tuesday night, yes."

"Don't you see?" he shouted, gesturing like he'd just made the most obvious point in the world.

Jesse and Dayle B looked at each other. "Uh... nope." Jesse said. "Yeah, not seein it." Dayle B said.

"Dayle A woke up the morning after dreaming of the explosion in a motel room. She went to work that day, had an altercation with a customer. I saw the whole thing. THEN, the next night she dreamed about me meeting Melody in the hallway. She awoke the morning after that dream at her friend's home. She attended a meeting and that's where she encountered Zygon River, then on to the library to meet her daughter. That was Tuesday. She and Savannah always met up at the library on Tuesdays." He rubbed his hands together, looked at Dayle B meaningfully.

Now she got it. And she looked mystified. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me, she dreamed about the explosion before it happened?" She shook her head. "Dayle's gift doesn't work that way. She can't see into the future."

"No she can't. But the TARDIS has done extensive scans on this universe, on its composition of space time. And time here does indeed run parallel to time in my universe. So if it was Monday in that universe, it would have been Monday in this universe. So how then did Dayle see the neutron star collision a full day before it happened? How did she see me meeting Melody in your hallway, the _night before_ I even arrived?"

Dayle B looked blown away. She looked at Jesse who could only shrug.

The TARDIS was rematerializing. The Doctor checked the scanner. They had landed in someone's back garden. He turned the screen toward Dayle B.

"Yep." She nodded. "This is mom's house." She stood and grumbled. "Man, this is gonna be some bizarre shit for her to take in." She and Jesse made their way to the door of the TARDIS.

The Doctor helped Melody to her feet, guided her out the door with a gentle hand on her lower back.

They stepped out into the dark backyard. Dayle B's mother was standing on her back patio, illuminated by the porch light. She was blonde and fair skinned like her daughter and though well into her 50s, she was still a beautiful woman. Though she looked thoroughly troubled, inexplicably, she didn't look the least bit surprised to see them there.

She crossed her arms, called out "Dayle honey. Why don't you and your friends come in before it starts raining."

Dayle B looked confused but they all did as they were told, made their way up the back steps, past her mother.

Lenore nodded slightly as the Doctor passed. "Doctor." She acknowledged softly.

Dayle B spun around, floored. She looked at the Doctor who had a slight grin on his face.

The Doctor put his hands on her shoulders, looked into her eyes. "You're right. Dayle A can't see into the future. But I expect we know someone else who can."


	30. Chapter 30

"Why did you bring me out here?" Dayle wondered, trying to keep the Zygon talking while she tested out the bindings on her wrists, seeing if there was any chance of wiggling free. Her heart sank. Her hands were tied in front of her and the cord was knotted tightly. _Of course Arc of the six fingers is an expert at tying knots somehow_ , she thought irately.

"This is where I crash landed when I came to be in this universe." Arc explained in his awful voice. "And do you know why?"

Dayle shrugged, unable to contain her inner smartass. "You suck at flying spaceships?"

Arc actually laughed at this. "Dayle Moss, you are in the presence of a Zygon Warlord. My kind is bred for battle. And that includes expertly handling any type of craft..." A slight rustling in the woods caught his attention and he looked off in that direction momentarily. "The ship I was flying was a Tregannon vessel. The reason I ended up here, the reason I came to this place was that once I hit earth's atmosphere, a psionic field drew me to these woods and I had no control."

At that, lightning suddenly slashed the sky directly above them, the trees began to sway though Dayle could detect no wind. She couldn't really say for sure why, but she got the distinct impression there was some type of electrical disturbance happening all around them. The air was charged and smelled slightly of ozone. She looked deep into the woods and swore she saw movement there.

"Why these woods?" Dayle asked, her voice shaking slightly. Now she really wanted to know, she wasn't merely interested in buying time. _Something's wrong._ "What brought you here?"

A hysterical cackle seemed to echo all around them. Fog had drifted in and was steadily spreading across the ground. Dayle's heart was now hammering in her chest. _Something's coming._

Arc seemed pleased, like he knew just what was happening and had been hoping for such an eventuality.

"Tell me Dayle, what do you know of the Tregannon?" He demanded.

Dayle struggled once more against her bindings. _Something was definitely coming._ Now she was feeling a strange tickle at the back of her mind. A psychic energy was permeating all around them.

"They're little goblin creatures with telepathy a-a-and telekinesis and they derive their power from minerals found only in their part of the solar system."

"Very good." The Zygon commended her like this was some important lesson on alien species and she had passed the test. "The stones and alloy that originate in the Spulion System are the cornerstone of their technology and their abilities. Did you know that the Tregannon cannot even physically manifest themselves without their own Focusing Amplifiers." He paused meaningfully. "But just because you can't see a Tregannon, it doesn't mean one isn't around." Arc let that sink in for a moment.

Dayle was looking everywhere at once. In her mind, she felt and heard a familiar crackling. And then a strange, screechy voice breathed her name. _Daaaayyyle._ She shivered.

"Who's there?" she shouted, her voice now quaking with fear. Somehow, this unseen entity, this disembodied being felt more of a threat than the red shape shifting war criminal that stood before her.

"That? That is my dear friend Sarcrayle. Sarcrayle and I met three years ago in these woods. He has been stuck on this planet, stranded in these woods for ten thousand years. Stranded like I am. And on that day we made a deal. If I will return his Focusing Amplifier to him so that he can physically manifest himself and recall his own ship, he will give me a lift to Zygor. You see, I've discovered that in this universe, Zygor was never destroyed. The Zygons still have a home planet. And I will get back there. With your help of course." He grinned chillingly once more.

She managed to climb to her knees, her voice was high and strained. "But how am I supposed to give you something I don't have!? I don't know where the fucking thing is!" She was near tears now but she wasn't giving him what he wanted. She couldn't.

She felt something inside her mind then. Invading, intruding. That shrill voice, now menacing. _Liar._

And suddenly, by invisible hands, Dayle was lifted several feet off the ground and hurled off into the woods. She hit a sapling, snapping it on impact. She grunted and groaned in pain as she rolled across the ground. With her hands bound, she had no way of breaking her fall. She felt her shoulder pop, her ribs crack. A branch had slashed at her cheek making her bleed even more.

Arc walked to where she now lay, crying in pain and fear. He knelt beside her, his voice a wicked purr. "You don't have to be a hero. Your Time Lord isn't coming to help you. You are alone with us. And we can break you. Both figuratively and literally." He got back up and walked a ways away, left her to think it through.

Dayle heard Sarcrayle's evil laughter echo through the woods. She turned over so she was more on her stomach, trying to find a position that wasn't agony. When she did she noticed that the bindings on her wrists had somehow loosened considerably on impact. They had torn at her wrists from the friction but she definitely had some use of her hands now. And she wondered something. She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. She surreptitiously began to move her hands toward the pocket of her hoody, every movement now causing pain.

Back in the TARDIS, after the Doctor's cruel words, she had stomped back to her room and grabbed his mobile phone from his tweed jacket so she could get a hold of Dayle B. In doing so, that small piece of debris from the Tregannon crash site had fallen to the floor. When she'd picked it up, she had been hit with a charge of psychic energy as she had when she'd first found it. Instead of returning the piece of crumpled metal to the Doctor's jacket, something told her that she actually needed it, that it might help if she kept it on her. It was one of those feelings she couldn't ignore

Her fingertips managed to touch it now, within her pocket. She kept her fingers on it, a surge of energy beginning to build. She was about to find out if her feeling had been right.

* * *

Lenore's home was small but lovely and quite comfortable. Framed pictures covered the walls. Dayle as a pretty child with curls. Dayle a little older laughing on a bench swing with a red head, likely her sister. A photo of Lenore herself younger, dancing with a young handsome man. Dayle's father, the Doctor presumed.

Jesse and Melody waited in the kitchen at Dayle B's request. Lenore gave them each a glass of iced tea. Everyone else found a seat in the living room. Lenore chose a comfortable looking easy chair. After a few moments of silence in which everyone was waiting expectantly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a smooth flat stone. The Focusing Amplifier.

She held it up, looking curious. "What is it exactly?" She wondered.

Dayle B looked over at the Doctor, who gave her a nod. She cleared her throat. "It's a type of psychic mineral. It's called a Focusing Amplifer." She paused, trying to find the words, then just blurted, "Mom, are you clairvoyant?"

Her mother studied her lucky stone, avoiding eye contact. "I've always just kind of known things I shouldn't know." She began. Dayle B looked at the Doctor and raised her eyebrows. Words virtually identical to the ones Dayle A used to describe her gift.

Lenore continued. "When I was young it was always small things. I knew when it was going to rain. I knew when the phone was about to ring and who would be on the other end of the line. I could always tell pregnant women if they were having a boy or a girl. And I was never wrong." She looked up then, indicated the stone. "After I found this, I guess the power got stronger. I could actually see events play out in my head. Things that had yet to happen. I knew when your dad was going to propose to me." She smiled sadly, remembering. "And I knew the night, years later when we'd had no contact for a decade, that he was going to die in a car crash."

Dayle B was speechless. There were tears in her eyes.

Lenore looked haunted. "Of course, I never foresaw such events very far in advance. Sometimes mere minutes beforehand. Sometimes, hours. I never had control of it."

The Doctor was striving for patience but he also felt time was running out. "Tell us." He demanded urgently. "How do you know who I am?"

She cleared her throat, shaking off the ghosts. "A few years ago, I started to have these dreams. They were about Dayle, but it definitely wasn't my Dayle. She was a drug addict. She was a waitress." She paused and gave an apologetic look to her daughter. "She had children. I didn't know exactly what was going on, but I knew they were more than just run of the mill dreams."

She looked into the Doctor's eyes then. Hers were the same blue gray as her daughter's and something seized his hearts momentarily. "I dreamed of you too. I dreamed about you in an explosion. I dreamed about my Dayle nursing you back to health." She broke eye contact. "I dreamed of you...kissing her." The Doctor blushed. Fidgeted.

"The dreams, visions really, were unsettling. So very real, a whole story playing out in my mind. An impossible one. Parallel universes and time travel. Aliens and then two Dayles. Together." She looked at her daughter searchingly. "Is all this real? It this really happening?"

Dayle B moved to her mother's side, knelt and grabbed her hand. "Mom please." She was now crying outright. "You have to help. Dayle, the other Dayle is in a lot of trouble. She's been taken." She looked back at the Doctor helplessly, out of words.

Lenore hugged her daughter. Kissed her forehead. "I'll do whatever you need me to do. But I don't see what good I am. I can't control this." she insisted. "It comes and goes as it pleases."

The Doctor looked at her kindly. "Miss Byers you have already helped more than you know. You have been a part of the psychic link that connected the other Dayle and myself from the beginning. Somehow, you reached across all of space and time into a whole other universe and showed her your visions." He folded his hands, smiling gently.

Lenore blinked. "What do you mean?"

The Doctor explained. "Dayle from my universe, she has telepathic powers too. But she is claircognizant, not clairvoyant. She can't see the future. With the help of both your lucky rocks though, you unwittingly joined forces. The psychic link I had with her was created using the technology of a race called the Tregannon. Yours occurred naturally."

Lenore shook her head, squinted in disbelief. "But why? Why would some girl I've never met be connected to me?"

He leaned forward. "At a quantum level, you are cut of the same cloth. Different circumstances, different outcomes but she is essentially the very same person as your daughter. There is a phenomenon in physics known as Quantum Entanglement. You and Dayle share a quantum wave function which is just a fancy way of saying you have the same mathematical description. It's how you are linked. One of the most mysterious and counter intuitive forces in the universe, Quantum Entanglement occurs when two linked particles interact over a great distance. Though there is no 'signal' or way for the particles to communicate, they still in fact do."

Lenore was silent. She looked fascinated. "So what do I do now?"

The Doctor's voice got lower. "The connection should still be there, the inexplicable psychic link that connected the two of you. I need you to reach out. I need you to find her." He patted the spot on the sofa beside him. She stood uncertainly but made her way to him and sat down, unconsciously stroking the Focusing Amplifier.

The Doctor faced her, put his fingertips to her temples and closed his eyes. "Close your eyes. Just let my mind guide you."

He reached out telepathically and joined with her mind. Flashes, visions started to come to his mind.

 _The untraveled country road that ran through the woods covered in fog._

 _Trees blowing around violently in the woods, an electrical disturbance._

 _A maniacal cackle echoing through the trees not far from the crash site._

 _Dayle seriously injured, bleeding, tied up. Crying._

The Doctor took his hands away, and he and Lenore both looked at each other, eyes wide.

His voice was quavering when he said. "It's a Tregannon. A Tregannon dormant in the woods." He sprang up, his hands to his face. He remembered the creature Sancreda at Lanyon Moor. How even in a dormant state he'd torn a young woman completely apart just for sport. "Dayle is there now. Arc must have taken her to it." He looked at Dayle B, devastated. "She's hurt badly. Or will be very soon."

Dayle B jumped up and grabbed his hand, squeezed it. Her face was still tear stained but she looked into his eyes determined. "Then we go there. And we rescue her."


	31. Chapter 31

Dayle stayed as still as possible on the ground now nearly covered by fog. She'd managed to get her hand in her pocket enough to make contact with the piece of metal from the wrecked Tregannon ship. She felt the energy surging through her, like electricity but cold and tingly. Tickling her mind. It was building, growing in her. She heard the Doctor's voice from the last time they'd been out here. When she'd found the piece of ship.

" _All of Tregannon technology is made from minerals with telepathic properties. They use psionic energy for nearly everything. But especially as a weapon."_

She didn't know what she was doing but she knew she was definitely doing it. This energy coursing through her, it was powerful. It was obviously psychic power but it felt different than her own telepathy.

She turned over slowly, hoping Arc would give her some more time. She no longer felt the presence of Sarcrayle in her mind though the electrical disturbance continued all around her and the fog was getting thicker. She suspected it took quite a bit of power to throw a woman at a tree. Perhaps it would take a while before he could do anything like that again.

She tried sitting up, her hand still tucked into her pocket. Her shoulder screamed in agony, her ribs ached sharply. She brought herself upright once more despite the pain.

 _Fuck that little goblin bitch_. She'd had men break her face, put her through plate glass windows, burn her, cut her, rape her. She could handle a little dislocated shoulder and a few cracked ribs.

She looked over at the sapling she had barreled into moments before. She didn't know what she was going to do until she was doing it. She focused on the piece of broken tree laying on the ground. She focused with everything she had. And it moved. She gasped quietly. _Did she just...?_ She tried again, bracing herself against the roots of a large tree. _Focus_. The trunk of the sapling definitely rolled. Her eyes widened.

The small hunk of crumpled metal in her pocket- it was just debris from the crashsite. Yet the psionic energy it held was enhancing her own natural telepathy. Strengthening it and twisting it a bit. Somehow, it was actually making her telekinetic. She struggled against the bindings and managed to get her hand further into the pocket. Her fingers closed around the metal.

She glanced around and saw Arc standing against a tree. He appeared to be having a conversation with his good buddy Sarcrayle, leaving Dayle to suffer and hopefully change her mind about helping them.

 _Oh I'll help him alright._ She narrowed her eyes. She felt the energy building still. Her head was starting to feel funny. Her mouth tasted metallic. That crackling had returned but this time it wasn't coming from an outside source. This time it was coming from within her. She felt fully charged with the psionic energy. She felt it within her. She contained it. If she could somehow force it all out at once, use it as a weapon as the Tregannon apparently did...

She closed her eyes and concentrated all of her mind into one thought: _release._ She felt the energy start to surge then it all just sort of... dissipated. Nothing happened.

 _Goddammit._ She held tight to the metal piece once more and felt the energy start to fill her again. Her heart was racing. She was running out of time and she knew it.

Arc was now walking back toward her and she could feel Sarcrayle's presence growing stronger all around.

 _Come on._ She thought frantically. The psionic energy in her was nearly back to its highest point. Tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't fuck this up again.

Arc towered over her, looking pleased to find her crying. "So where is it?" he gargled almost playfully. "Because we know that you know. Sarcrayle says your mind is a fortress and you do well at hiding your thoughts. But he can tell when you're lying."

Dayle shifted slightly, trying to ease the discomfort in her shoulder. "Arc, I-I-I just think I _might_ know where it is. That's all. I truly don't know. Not for sure." She was now trying to make herself sound scared of him, make herself sound as helpless as possible. Because as an intelligent woman who also happened to be an attractive blonde, she knew that sometimes being underestimated was a powerful weapon as well.

Arc seemed to relish in her submissiveness. "Just tell me Dayle. Tell me and I'll let you go back to your life. Back to your hopelessness." He laughed. "The homeless junkie who couldn't even take care of her own kids."

It was like a shot in the stomach. He was throwing her own words back at her. Words she had spoken to him when she thought he was River.

Her eyes narrowed. This was too fucking much. So far today, she'd had the guy she loves destroy their morning after by, in essence, calling her a thirsty slut and mocking her about having dope connections. Then she'd gone to check on Melody and this big red bastard had knocked her out, tied her up, and tossed her out in the dark woods. If _that_ wasn't enough, some shrill psychic goblin with short guy syndrome had bashed her into a tree after violating her mind. Now the mighty Zygon Warlord was taking cheap shots.

She shook her head. That was definitely quite enough of putting up with men's shit for one day. She felt the psionic energy surge within her stronger than before, like it was being enhanced by her wrath.

 _Hmm._ She closed her eyes once more and really let the rage pervade her. She rolled it around in her mind like flexing a muscle. The anger was burning hot, a contrast to the cold, tingly psionic energy.

She gritted her teeth and focused once more. _RELEASE_

The energy burst outward, a bright, shining effusion shooting out through the woods. It ripped the bindings off her wrists and ankles. It blasted the Zygon deep into the woods where he flipped and rolled and landed in a heap. She exhaled heavily. _That's what I'm talking about._

She got to her feet as quickly as her injuries would allow. She squeezed her injured shoulder tightly with her now freed hand, trying to brace it. She stumble ran through the woods, looking behind her a couple times, just waiting for Sarcrayle to make himself known once more. She had to get out of this area before his strength returned. But she had no idea the extent of his reach. She just kept going, blindly scrambling through the trees. She kept going.

* * *

Melody wisely opted to stay behind with Lenore rather than face the alien menace. The two women walked the others out to the backyard. Lenore embraced her daughter before she entered the blue box. "I know it won't do me any good to ask you to stay. But I will ask you to be careful. I don't know what's going to happen out there. I likely won't know until it's too late."

Dayle B had kissed her on the cheek and said "You've done your hero bit here today mom. Now it's my turn." She unleashed her beautiful smile, dimples and all, then turned and grabbed Jesse by the hand. They boarded the TARDIS with the Doctor following right behind.

Before the doors could close, Lenore called. "Doctor..." He went back out to her, curious.

"Dayle, the other Dayle I mean." She began. "Can you bring her to see me. Before you take her home."

The Doctor smiled at that. "I will be certain she comes to see you." He turned and closed the doors. Ran to the console.

"So what's the plan Doctor?" Jesse wondered, marveling at the array of controls in front of them.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and he clapped his hands together. "Plan. Yes. Well, we are going to the woods. To find Dayle A." He tapped some keys on the spatial location input and pulled the dematerialization lever.

Jesse looked at him expectantly. "And... then what? Like, once we get there. What will you do?"

The Doctor glanced at him, then back to the controls. "I'll do a thing." he said confidently.

Jesse turned to Dayle B, pointed at the Doctor accusingly. "He doesn't have a plan. He's totally winging it!" He turned his back, shaking his head in disbelief.

Dayle B walked over to the Doctor. "Uh, hey. Lord of Time." She sounded nervous. "Like, you know what to do right? You know how to beat this Tregganon thing?"

The Doctor turned to her, serious now. "There is no way to beat a Tregannon. Even a dormant one. My only goal is to get Dayle A away from there, safely into the TARDIS. If that means returning its Focusing Amplifier, that's exactly what I will do." He pulled the stone Lenore had given him from his pocket.

Dayle B's eyes went wide. "But I thought you said that thing will let the dormant Tregannon manifest physically." She was appalled. "Isn't that a real bad fucking idea?"

The Doctor's eyes got dark, his face hardened. "Yes. It is an absolutely terrible idea!" he shouted. "But I will do whatever I have to do. That creature, that thing can have whatever the hell it wants as long as she is safe."

Dayle B softened. She walked over and took his hand. "Man she's really got you turned out."

The Doctor looked down at their intertwined hands and laughed a little. "Yes. She does at that."

The engines of the TARDIS wheezed and groaned as they rematerialized.

The Doctor took a look at the scanner. "The country road." he said, fascinated. "I suppose it was always meant to end here."

Jesse was helping Dayle B on with her jacket and she gave the Doctor a strange look. "Geez Doc. You sound like you believe in fate or something."

He shook his head. "Not fate. A fixed point. Your mum has been seeing this road in her dreams for three years. It became so significant in her mind it must have entered Dayle A's subconscious as well. When she reached out to me telepathically, when she pulled me back through the black hole into our universe, this was the setting her mind conjured up. We met on this road..." he trailed off, troubled.

Jesse cleared his throat. "So, seriously. Do you have any type of weapon to use against this thing? Anything at all?"

Dayle B laughed dryly, glanced back at him. "What would Bloo do?"

Jesse became very serious. "Bloo would go in with an army. Bloo would bring his flash ray gun, his laser mace. He would be prepared to fuck the enemy up."

The Doctor looked jovial, patted Jesse on the back as he walked by. "And Bloo and his entire army would be annihilated in four minutes flat by the Tregannon." the Doctor told him cheerfully.

Jesse sighed, clearly disappointed.

Dayle B looked at her fiance with humor in her eyes. "Don't worry honey. Maybe you'll get a chance to laser mace that Zygon dude." She chuckled, following the Doctor outside.

They no sooner stepped out onto the foggy road when Dayle A came bursting out of the woods. She stumbled across the clearing toward them and the TARDIS.

"Dayle!" The Doctor shouted and ran toward her.

"Doctor." she breathed, exhausted. Then she collapsed onto the road.

The Doctor frantically went to her, knelt beside her prostrate figure. He turned her over, checked for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief. "You'll be alright." he whispered, carefully stroking her bloody face.

He was horrified at the state she was in. Her curly hair was a tangled mess, littered with leaves and twigs, bloody in some parts. Her face covered in mostly dried blood and some dirt. Her gray hooded sweatshirt was torn and muddy. One arm laid against her unnaturally. A wrist peeked out from one of the sleeves and he saw bloody marks there like her hands had been bound. Fury overcame him, burning in his stomach, clutching at his hearts, clouding his mind.

Dayle B and Jesse knelt down beside them, concerned.

"Looks like the bleeding has mostly stopped." Dayle B murmured, gently examining her face. "Maybe just a bloody nose and a small cut there on her cheek."

Jesse cringed. "But look at her left arm. It looks like it's pretty screwed up."

Dayle B nodded, gingerly palpating the joint. "It's been dislocated. I'm pretty sure I could pop it back in. I spent two years in orthopedics and saw it done at least a hundred times."

The Doctor rose from the road, fists clenched. His eyes had gone dark, his mentality had turned violent.

"Get her into the TARDIS." he ordered. "Just take care of her. I'd like to have a word with someone." He headed in the direction of the woods they'd just seen Dayle A burst from.

Dayle B stood, shouted after him anxiously, "Doctor what are you going to do? You're just marching into the dark woods alone? That's fucking stupid. You haven't got anything. That thing will tear you apart."

The Doctor turned back toward her slowly, a cold smile on his face. "It better hope it does."


	32. Chapter 32

Dayle was in the dark as soon as she hit the pavement. Not entirely unconscious, but not exactly awake either. She was aware of the people around her, the voices, the gentle prodding.

" _...a small cut there on her cheek."_

" _...her left arm... pretty screwed up."_

" _I spent two years in Orthopedics..."_

" _I'd like to have a word..."_

" _Doctor...marching into the woods alone?"_

When she came back out of the darkness, she found herself being carried. She looked up and saw it was Jesse. She could feel from his mind to hers that he was very worried about her.

Apparently not worried enough to go easy on the jostling though. "Duuude." she rasped. "I'm a big pile of pain over here. Easy!"

She heard her counterpart somewhere behind them. "Glad to know you're still with us."

They entered the TARDIS and Jesse stopped dead in his tracks. "Uhhh... has that room always been there?" He sounded incredulous.

Dayle B was just walking in behind them. "What room are you... _what the actual fuck?"_ She had stopped short as well.

"What's up?" Dayle A asked, growing concerned now. She strained to see.

"It-it-it's a doorway." Dayle B stuttered. "Directly off the control room."

Dayle A managed to get in a position to see what they were so worked up about. She gasped. They were right. Some door had appeared where there hadn't been one this morning.

She watched Dayle B approach the door with caution and peer inside. "Whoa. It's a medical bay." She sounded impressed as she walked further inside. "It's like the TARDIS knew exactly what we needed. Bring her Jesse."

They entered the newly fashioned medical bay and Dayle A was equally as impressed. She was also ready for Sir Bumpsalot to set her down.

Once she was sitting on a hospital style cot, Dayle B started tending to her face. The only first aid she required there was a warm wet wash cloth to wipe off the blood, then some antiseptic and Dermabond for the cut on her right cheek.

"Where is he?" Dayle A asked softly, as her counterpart applied skin adhesive to close the laceration.

Dayle B made a disgusted sound, shook her head. "He took one look at what they'd done to you and ran out into the woods by himself with nothing but a screwdriver, a bow tie and far too much bravado. Fucking idiot."

Dayle A's heart dropped. "Tell me he has a plan." The look Dayle B gave her in return was answer enough.

"Well, we can't just sit here." Dayle A winced as she was being worked on. "That invisible thing in the woods managed to pick me up and throw me fifty feet. And I'm quite sure that was just its opening act."

"Yeah..." Dayle B began apologetically, "about that." She indicated Dayle A's shoulder.

Dayle A groaned. "Just get it over with." She squeezed her eyes shut.

 _The Control Room, Ten Minutes Later_

Dayle A flexed her arm. "Well, I'd say you did it right. I can move the damn thing again."

Dayle B glared. "I still say you should've kept it in a sling."

"Well, at least I'm not in near as much pain. My shoulder or my ribs." She touched her taped up side. "Space pain meds are the business. And I don't even feel drugged up."

Jesse broke in "So what are we going to do ladies? We need to make a move."

Dayle A agreed. "Sci Fi boy is right." He gave her a dirty look in response.

Just then Dayle B's cell phone made a noise. She grabbed it out of her jacket pocket. "Goddammit, if they are calling me into work they are just going to have to... wait it's a text. From my mom?" She looked up, mystified. "My mom _never_ texts."

She read the message, her eyebrows rising higher and higher onto her forehead. When she finished she looked at them and grinned slyly. "I know our next move."

"Yeah, not really the time and place for keeping us in suspense." Dayle A advised dryly.

"Mom says we go to the crash site." Dayle B told them, her eyes shining with exhilaration.

"Ohhh. Duh." Dayle A ran back to the medical bay to retrieve her ruined hoody. She showed them the piece of metal that had likely saved her life and told them what had happened. "Not going to do me much good now. Not an ounce of energy left in it." She tossed the piece of useless metal onto the console.

"But I'm assuming there's more where that came from?" Jesse asked, excited.

Dayle A gave them both a blank look. "Hold up. Why does mom know what our next move should be?"

Dayle B grinned. "Seems you aren't the only one in the family with telepathy."

 _The Crashsite, Yet Another Ten Minutes Later_

They had made their way through the woods swiftly, using flashlights they'd found in the control room. Dayle A was pleased to note that between her taped up ribs and the pain meds, she wasn't slowing them down too much.

When they reached the canopy of trees where the body of the wrecked vessel was cradled, they stopped and looked at each other, unsure what to do next.

"Sooo..." said Jesse.

"Yeah, so do you just take another piece of this mess with you?" Dayle B wondered, gesturing around at the debris on the ground.

Dayle A had a thought. "You know we never really looked inside this thing when we came the first time..." She boosted herself on a low lying branch, grunting from the twinge of pain it caused. She shined her flashlight inside the ship.

"Christ Dayle, you do have broken ribs you know? When those meds wear off, you are going to be feeling that shit." Dayle B shook her head disapprovingly.

Dayle A scoffed. "If I have a chance to take out either of those evil dicks, it will be totally worth it."

Jesse was starting to get antsy. "You guys, the Doctor has been out there by himself for a long time now. A lot could have happened..."

"Oh please. Have you seen the way that guy can talk? He's probably not even through his opening soliloquy just yet." Dayle A muttered, poking around the inside of the smashed ship.

"You know he's sorry, right?" Dayle B said then, softly. "Girl...he is way hung up on you."

Dayle A sighed. "Well, he can tell me that himself after we rescue his obnoxious alien ass... _hey,_ what's this?" She reached into the ship.

* * *

The Doctor was not thinking straight as he made his way through the woods to confront the Tregannon and Arc. He was beyond angry, and not just at those two. He felt responsible for what happened to Dayle. She wouldn't have wandered off if he hadn't been such a bastard to her that morning. And even if she had gone off alone, he certainly wouldn't have waited a whole day to look for her under other circumstances.

Part of him felt he deserved whatever might happen to him out here. The other part wanted to inflict pain on the creatures that had caused so much for Dayle.

As he walked he began to feel the electrical disturbance all around him. He could tell when he was getting closer. He pulled out his Sonic and scanned the perimeter.

Definitely a dormant Tregannon's psionic energy. He spotted a broken sapling, some blood on the forest floor. He had come to the right place. He stood, his jaw set.

"Aren't you going to welcome me to your neck of the woods?" He taunted, looking all around. "Or do you just prefer injuring defenseless women?"

The Doctor felt the crackling sensation inside his head, the familiar psychic connection. _"Time Lord."_ a shrill voice hissed in his mind.

"Call me the Doctor." He said casually. "And what might your name be?"

After a pause of uncertainty, the response came. _"Sarcrayle."_

"Sarcrayle. Lovely. Do you mind telling me exactly what the hell you want with that woman. With Dayle?" The casual tone faded as he talked and was completely gone by the time he got to her name. He allowed the creature to see his violent thoughts. His burning rage.

" _The telepathic human. The one somehow connected to my Focusing Amplifier... Arc assured me she'd know where to find it."_

"Good old Arc. Say, where is your partner in crime anyway?" The Doctor glanced around the empty woods. "Beer run?"

A longer pause, then reluctantly, _"He was wounded when the human got away..."_

"Well sure, you've got to keep those Zygons in line, right? They can't just go around allowing prisoners to escape..."

" _...by the human."_

This news filled the Doctor with joy and he laughed out loud. "Really? Not only did you not get what you wanted from her, not only did she escape, she actually _wounded_ the Zygon Warlord you've teamed up with. I was a bit terror stricken to say it out loud before, but I will now: I do love that woman."

" _She's a liar. She knows where it is. And so I punished her."_ That maniacal cackle sounded through the trees.

The Doctor clenched his teeth, no longer caring how far he went. "So how'd that go, hmm? Well she just handed it right on over, didn't she? She really cracked under the pressure." He laughed, a frosty chuckle. "Even after being hit in the head, tied up, brought to the dark woods, having her bones cracked, she _still_ wouldn't tell you. Perhaps you need to work on your interrogation techniques, eh?"

A vicious growl sounded in his head and he flinched and then... nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked around.

Sarcrayle shrieked out loud, the sound echoing through the woods. It was a sound of sheer frustration.

And the Doctor suddenly realized why. He smiled, his eyes darkened. He adjusted his bow tie.

"When you're through with your temper tantrum, perhaps you might fill me in on how you got to this planet? Where's your ship?" he wondered, finally in control of the situation.

" _You have it. You have my Focusing Amplifier!"_ The shrill voice in his head accused. _"Give it to me at once or I will destroy you Time Lord! "_

The Doctor pulled the stone from his pocket, tossed it in the air casually and caught it. Gave it a once over.

"Oh I don't really think you will. Your telekinesis is useless against whoever is holding _this_ apparently. So I ask again, why are you here?" He tucked the stone back safely into his pocket.

" _I was left behind. Ten thousand years ago I was left on this primitive planet. As punishment you see. They left me stranded, threw my Focusing Amplifier in a lake and recalled my ship to my home solar system. They knew I'd be stuck dormant in these woods. It was a life sentence."_

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "What must you have done to your own people to be discarded in such a way?"

Sarcrayle cackled again. _"Doctor, it would seem that you've had the very same thing done to you by your people. Stuck on earth with no ability to use your TARDIS. Working an actual job as a scientific adviser. That must have seemed like ten thousand years to a Time Lord."_

The Doctor smirked. "Yes, well that was a whole other me and a lot has happened between the Time Lords and myself since then. Water under the bridge, I say."

The Doctor might have heard the beeping sound emanating from his jacket for some time, but his mind didn't register its significance until it was far too late. _The Zygon Detector._

He heard and felt a _zap_ and then everything went black.


	33. Chapter 33

_The Crashsite_

Jesse and the Dayles all knelt and peered into the black satchel they'd recovered from the ship. Dayle B aimed her flashlight around inside. It contained three items.

Jesse immediately reached in and grabbed one of them. "Mine!" He proclaimed. Both women looked at him in disbelief.

He held the object up. "I bet my life this is some type of ray gun." They all examined it. Dayle A definitely agreed it appeared to be a gun shaped weapon. It was silver with a greenish handle. The barrel unlike anything on earth. It was made from metal that Dayle B thought she recognized as Tregannon. The trigger was an oddly shaped red button. Jesse stuffed it down the back of his pants.

"Hey!" his fiance protested. "Why does the dude automatically get the big gun?"

"Yeah!" agreed Dayle A, crossing her arms.

He looked at both of them like they were morons. "Because, I am the Bloovian here." he explained like it should be obvious. "I've seen space warfare and believe me, it's not pretty. I know how these aliens operate. We may only get one chance at a clean shot."

Now the Dayles were looking at him like he might be from another planet.

"Uhh... sweetheart." Dayle B began gently. "You do realize that Bloo is just a show, don't you?"

"Yeah Jesse." Dayle A spoke to him like he might be a bit slow. "Sci Fi stands for Science _Fiction."_

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I know that, but you don't think science fiction is based on actual science? I mean, thirty minutes ago, we materialized out of thin air in a wooden box that's bigger on the inside, piloted by a time traveling alien with two hearts. Maybe reserve your condescension for other circumstances." He stood up.

The Dayles glanced at each other, shrugged. He actually sort of had a point.

"So what are these other two things?" Dayle B wondered, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

Dayle A reached in and pulled out an oblong item about the size of a loaf of bread made of a much stronger metal than the alleged ray gun. It had a handle on one end but it wasn't recognizable as a weapon. At the other end there was what looked like a small satellite dish. There were four buttons on the side of the thing and a digital read out screen. She squinted at the object. She recognized some familiar circular patterns adorning the side. She was certain she'd seen them on several of the books in the Doctor's library.

"Hmm. I wonder if these circles mean it's a Time Lord thing." she murmured, pointing to the symbols.

"Well this thingee has those same circles." Dayle B pointed out, pulling the final item from the bag.

The third object was stored in a solid blue case covered in those circular symbols. The item was protected inside by soft padding. It was an orb, the size of a grapefruit, likely made of some type of metal but covered in soft rubbery polymer. There was only one big silver button on this one, no read out screen.

Dayle A looked at the two objects, one finger to her lips, curious. "The Doctor did say that Arc body-printed a Time Lord once. I imagine he got all sorts of useful information from the memories of that guy. Maybe he got a hold of some Time Lord technology as well?"

"Well they don't do us much good if we don't even know what they are, what they do." Dayle B said, frustrated.

They both looked at Jesse who held his hands up defensively. "Hey, just because I know a ray gun when I see one, I'm not the resident alien tech expert. Your guess is as good as mine."

Dayle A sighed, packing the two items back in the satchel and zipping it up. "Well I guess we take a page out of the Doctor's playbook." She hefted the satchel on her shoulder. "We improvise."

Dayle B snatched the heavy bag from her counterpart and lugged it onto her back. "You'll be improvising in a full body cast if you don't take it easy. Idle down there chainsaw."

 _Sarcrayle's Woods, Shortly Thereafter_

Dayle felt that familiar electrical disturbance right as they passed a large pine tree. A shiver ran through her. This Tregannon business was no joke. She hoped the Doctor was ok. She was angry with the damn Time Lord but she still loved him. And she supposed in his own insane little way, he was being sort of chivalrous confronting these monsters for hurting her.

Suddenly she heard that maniacal laugh permeate the woods around her. Immediate goose bumps. "That's him. That's Sarcrayle." she hissed at the rest of her crew.

Jesse stood protectively near Dayle B who reached over and took Dayle A's hand. They moved forward through the trees as one, up a small incline. As they cleared the incline, off in the distance, they saw the Zygon sneaking up behind the Doctor. Dayle A started to shout a warning but Jesse threw his hand over her mouth and pulled her down just as the Doctor hit the ground from Arc's sting. They huddled there, hidden by distance and the small hill.

"God _dammit."_ Dayle A whispered. She hit Jesse. "Why'd you do that?"

He made a _duh_ gesture. "The element of surprise."

Dayle A laughed bitterly. "Yeah, that generally doesn't work too well when one of your enemies is _psychic._ We'll be detected any second now."

Dayle B reached into her pocket with a sly look on her face, tossed Dayle A a piece of spaceship debris she'd collected. "Well I guess you better get ready then." They shared a look like, _I guess we're doin this._

Dayle A felt the psionic energy start to build. The feeling was familiar to her now and she knew right when it was at it's highest point. She went back up the incline and headed cautiously to where the Doctor was laying. She saw the Zygon raiding his pockets and she felt herself getting mad. She tried to harness that anger as she had before but it wasn't enough.

 _Shit._ "Hey Jesse..." she called back. "A little favor." They both crept up to where she stood. He looked at her quizzically.

"I need you to piss me off." She told him seriously.

" _What!?"_

"Come on goddammit! This psionic thingee doesn't work unless I'm good and mad. So come on. Piss me off." she insisted.

Jesse thought for a second, then looked at his fiance and said "Sorry for this babe." He turned his attention back to Dayle A and sighed. "Your tits are bigger than hers." He indicated Dayle B whose eyes sprung open wide in surprise. "I thought it was a bit odd that night at the library when we were making out. Because, damn I mean. You really have quite a rack."

" _You fucking pig!"_ both Dayles shouted in unison and the psionic energy bursting out was like a bomb going off. They were all knocked to the ground which seemed to quake a little. Arc was thrown into a tree and bounced off.

 _How do you like hitting a tree bitch?_ Dayle A thought as she stood back up, pleased with herself. "Come on." she told the other two who were climbing unsteadily to their feet, looking stunned.

They strode forward through the woods and she could now hear Sarcrayle in her head again. _"Come back for more, human?"_ he hissed.

The feeling of dread that pervaded her lasted only until she saw that the Doctor was getting back up. She grinned. Fuckin A.

* * *

The Doctor regained consciousness suddenly, when what sounded like an explosion went off all around him. He sat up, puzzled, then immediately felt in his pocket. He was relieved to find the smooth stone still there.

He looked around for the Zygon who had sneaked up on him. He saw that Arc was somehow now quite a distance away, rolling around and howling in pain. He turned in the opposite direction and his hearts soared. Dayle, his Dayle was striding toward him, a half smile on her lovely face, Dayle B and Jesse right behind her. He stood, his eyes only for her.

"Well I wasn't counting on back-up, but look at you. The invincible woman." He grinned. When she reached him, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her carefully, mindful of her injuries. He kissed the side of her face. "I am so, so terribly sorry." he whispered in her ear. She grabbed his face and kissed him softly on the lips in response. He didn't need telepathy to know that he was forgiven.

"We come bearing Time Lord technology." she informed him. He gave her a curious look, then he covertly passed the Focusing Amplifier to her, looking in her eyes meaningfully. She nodded.

" _Doctor... I see you've brought some new friends for me to play with.."_ Sarcrayle screeched suddenly inside his head.

The Doctor clapped his hands together."Yes well, your teammate there can't seem to stay in the game." He gestured toward the, once more, injured Arc. "Keeps getting beaten up by a girl. And you can't very well manifest physically if you don't have a partner to hand over the rock. So what's your next move?"

The Doctor was turning in circles looking around at the trees, a stone cold smile on his face. Dayle A was biting on the tip of her thumb, eyes darting around nervously. Jesse and Dayle B stood together holding hands.

The cackle echoed through the woods making everyone jump.

This time, Sarcrayle spoke out loud for all to hear, "Arrogant Time Lord. I don't have to hurt you to get what I want. I only need to hurt one of them... specifically, the one you claim to love."

Dayle looked at the Doctor nervously and then flinched, closing her eyes. She opened one eye... and then she started laughing. She yelled up to the sky "Punk ass goblin. Now what?" as Sarcrayle roared in fury.

The Doctor's face turned serious. He looked at his friends, eyes wide. "That trick only works once I'm afraid. Jesse, Dayle B, RUN!"

Before they could take a step, the Doctor was suddenly lifted off the ground and slammed into the nearest tree, invisible hands holding him there, strangling him.

Dayle A gasped. Sarcrayle chuckled. "I may only have one shot at this. You think I'd waste it on one of them? No. I have a feeling that this human will give me what I want rather than stand by and watch you die in front of her eyes."

The Doctor felt his airways close off completely. He couldn't even use his respiratory bypass. He was running out of air quickly, grunting and choking.

" _No!"_ Dayle A screamed, taking a few steps toward him. She already had the Focusing Amplifier out of her pocket.

The Doctor attempted to shout. "Don't, don't you dare!" but it came out all strangled.

" _Do something!"_ Dayle B shouted, sounding horrified. She had tears streaming down her face. Jesse put his arms around her helplessly.

"We can't shoot the fucker!" Jesse yelled. "We can't even hurt him. He's thin air, he's nothingness."

The Doctor was starting to lose consciousness. His vision blurred, their voices began to sound very far away.

He bearly saw Dayle A walk to the tree, holding the stone up with a shaking hand. She set it on the ground beneath him. "You want it? Take it." She shouted. "Let him go." She looked up and saw his face. He tried to shake his head. Tell her no. " _Let him go now please!"_ she screamed hysterically.

Suddenly the earth was shaking, electricity charged the air. He heard and felt an explosion of psychic energy. "At last." the goblin shrieked. And the Doctor remained pinioned to the tree.

Light was fading and he closed his eyes. Colors danced behind his eyelids. And he knew for sure then. Sarcrayle had gotten what he wanted and he was going to kill him anyway. The very last thing he heard before his awareness departed was Dayle, his Dayle shouting "Doctor... please. I love you!"

And the Doctor knew no more.

* * *

 ** _Oh no she didn't!_**

 ** _(Yep, totally did)_**

 ** _To be continued tomorrow evening! :) -Ruinous79_**


	34. Chapter 34

Dayle watched in stunned horror as the invisible hand pinning the Doctor to the tree just seemed to let go all at once and he hit the ground, lifeless. Her whole body went cold, for it was in that instant she realized what the Doctor's death meant. This wasn't just some boyfriend dying. Or even some guy who gave her hope and brought her back to life. He was also her only ride home. Without him, she was stuck here, away from her girls.

It was like she'd been kicked in the stomach. She doubled over and threw up right then and there, sat hard on the ground and curled up. She vaguely noticed the other Dayle had run over and was checking the Doctor for a pulse and breath sounds. Cursing when she couldn't find either. There was a roaring inside her head. _He's gone._

Then it began to rain.

"Dayle... Dayle sweetie, we need to go. We need to get out of here right now." Dayle B's voice cut through the roaring. She was tugging at her arm, frantic now. "That Tregannon goblin thing. He's taken off but who knows if he'll be back. And Arc isn't laying in the spot he'd fallen earlier. We need to get back to the TARDIS, now."

Dayle A looked up at her, confused. "Why go back to the TARDIS? It doesn't do one bit of good without a fucking Time Lord to operate the thing." Her head was throbbing now as well as her side. The space pain meds were wearing off.

Dayle B shook her head. "No honey. It can still take you home. The Doctor told us, there's a failsafe... some program thing..."

"Emergency Program One." Jesse said softly, suddenly beside her, helping her to her feet. "He said if anything happened to him, it would be automatic."

Dayle A felt a rush of relief followed by a wave of profound sadness. His words, in his sweet British accent came back to haunt her. _"You have my word on that Dayle Moss."_ Even in death, it seems he'd kept his promise.

She allowed herself to be pulled along by Jesse and Dayle B, looking back once to see his poor body laying crumpled in the downpour. She started to cry.

"He saved my damn life. He handed me that stone so it couldn't attack me. Knowing it would go after him next. The idiot died so I wouldn't." she was muttering, inconsolable, soaked now by the rain. She wondered if they were even going in the right direction.

Just then, an unnatural trail of lightning crackled in the sky overhead, the trees blew against the direction of the wind. They were just turning around to see what was coming when Dayle A was suddenly snatched by her hair and pulled roughly back to the spot they'd just left at a frightening speed. She was thrown onto the muddy ground.

It was the goblin. That evil creature who'd just murdered her good friend, hovering over her in a rage.

" _WHERE IS IT!?"_ Sarcrayle demanded. "Give it to me now and I might let you walk away alive."

Dayle genuinely had no clue what he was talking about. She struggled to sit up just to be pushed back down by Sarcrayle's telekinetic power."I-I-I don't know what you want! I don't have anything..." Anger coursed through her, overriding any confusion she might have felt. "You got your fucking Amplifier thing and you... you killed the Doctor anyway..."

The small but powerful creature hauled back and slapped her across the face, breaking open the cut on her cheek. "It's gone. The most important component is missing. The induction loop. One of you must have removed it. Give it back to me now!" He shook her.

"But it worked. You took on physical form... I don't understand..."

"Stupid girl. Without that induction loop, I can't recall my craft. I can't attempt to make amends with my people. I am stuck here on this pathetic rock in this contemptable solar system."

A familiar horrible voice hissed. "And he can't take me home either." Arc stepped out from behind him. She could see how severely he'd been injured and couldn't help but feel just a twinge of pride despite the circumstances.

About then Jesse and Dayle B had caught up, "Step away from her!" Jesse shouted, brandishing the gun.

Sarcrayle looked up, interested. "You have a Tregannon impulse laser. Resourceful man. I think you'll find it's no good against my kind." Just before Jesse could hit the trigger, Sarcrayle moved out of the way. An orangey beam shot out of the gun and hit the ground where he'd just been standing. Dayle could smell something burning. He tried again and again and the psychic creature anticipated every single move. It was useless against him. It was like the gun itself was speaking to him, telling him where to step.

He suddenly hauled Dayle A up by her throat, levitating enough to make up the height difference, and lifted her clear off the ground. "Tell me where he hid the induction loop, human." He shook her a little. Yeah, this was definitely not good for her health. She gasped for air, hung on to his disgusting little clawed hands to keep from choking to death.

The Zygon limped forward, enjoying the spectacle."Now you will feel pain. Don't think you've won at anything here today. It's all gone according to plan. I've supplied Sarcrayle with the Focusing Amplifier and soon I will see my home planet once more. Give us the component!"

Dayle's telepathy picked up one of the Tregannon's thoughts just then, and suddenly she began to giggle. Giggle quite hard actually. The rain poured down into the dark woods of an alternate universe where an alien creature was threatening her life and a man she loved laid dead nearby. And she just cracked up laughing.

Sarcrayle was so confused, he actually lowered her to the ground. When her feet hit the ground, the laughter bubbled out of her. Tears ran down her face as she laughed until her ribs were in agony. Dayle B and Jesse clutched each other, looking concerned.

"What's funny human?" The Tregannon demanded. He had let go of her completely now.

Dayle tried to bring herself under control. She wiped a tear away. "It's just that... well, you killed the Doctor. He's dead and he still totally won. You can't go anywhere. You're still stuck here. He got you good." She giggled and turned to Arc. "And you, you're so stupid you actually believed this asshole when he told you he would take you home. Newsflash, Zygon Warlord: he lied! Zygor is every bit as destroyed in this universe as it is in ours." She was doubled over laughing now. And to her surprise, Dayle B and Jesse began to laugh too.

Sarcrayle became stone silent and Arc turned to face him. Dayle A took that opportunity to rush back to her friends. The two creatures were now arguing. She shivered and noticed Dayle B was still lugging around the black bag from the crash site. "So, we gonna try anything with these?" she whispered.

Jesse was already unzipping the satchel. He lifted out both objects. "Sure hope they're waterproof." he said grimly as the rain poured over them.

Arc and Sarcrayle were actually physically fighting now, the Tregannon clearly with the upper hand with the telekinesis. "You dishonorable wretch!" Arc shouted as he aimed a kick at the goblin's stomach. Sarcrayle retaliated by sending him flying on to his back. "I can tear you apart!" the Tregannon shrieked.

"So which one?" Jesse was wondering.

Dayle B was looking from one mystery item to the other nervously. Dayle A grabbed one of the flashlights and shined it on them, trying to make sense of the strange circular symbols.

Suddenly Arc shouted in his gargly hiss. "The orb! Use the orb. Press the button and throw it at this disgraceful liar." He had managed to back away from the Tregannon who had finally taken a good shot to the head and looked unsteady on his feet. "Do it now!" Arc insisted.

Jesse and the Dayles looked at each other hesitantly. Dayle A sighed and closed her eyes.

"Do it." she whispered firmly.

Jesse pressed the button and the orb began to glow a strange purple color. "It feels... funny. Like warm and just kind of...wrong..."

"Throw the damn thing!" his fiance shouted in exasperation. Jesse hauled back and launched the orb directly at the Tregannon. It was apparently the one thing he never saw coming. As it hit the ground at his feet, it exploded in a great white flash of fire. Sarcrayle roared and screamed. It looked like he might be going but he wasn't going without a fight. Electrical current sizzled all around them. Huge branches high overhead began to break away from the trees, falling to earth at an alarming rate. The ground itself shook.

"Shit! We need to get out of here _now!_ " Dayle A shouted and took off running, Jesse and Dayle B in tow. The awful roaring and screaming continued though it seemed to be getting fainter. Dayle A could feel the heat from the ghostly white flames at their back. Flames that couldn't be extinguished by the rain. She ran for all she was worth, adrenaline coursed through her so she barely felt any pain.

They broke into the clearing and saw the TARDIS right where they'd left it, on the abandoned country road. Like nothing had even happened. They'd slowed now, all of them seeming to understand the gravity of what had taken place. They walked toward the TARDIS in silence.

Dayle B broke it when she said softly. "My mom was right. About the rain."

Tears returned to Dayle A. She remembered the words she'd spoken to the Doctor that first night in her motel room.

" _The truth is, you're one of the good guys. And I'm not sure I've ever even met a good guy."_

She shook her head. She wondered if she ever would again. The other two had walked slightly ahead. Dayle B walked back to check on her and that's when Arc ran by from out of nowhere and grabbed her. Dayle A stood there, stunned.

"Let me into the TARDIS now." he hissed. "And I will spare her life." He stood, holding an alien blade to her throat. Dayle B was wide-eyed, terror stricken.

Jesse came over and sighed like he'd had enough. He narrowed his eyes at Arc. "Seriously?" and shot the Zygon with the Impulse Laser.

Arc hit the ground and just kind of disintegrated. Jesse dropped the gun and looked disgusted. "Molecular dispersal. Ick."

Dayle B looked shocked for just a moment, then ran into his arms, actually laughing. "Bloo would be so proud honey." She kissed him on the face several times.

"Let's go, see if we can figure out how to make this telephone box work." Jesse suggested. "At least get out of this damn rain."

They all headed for the TARDIS, Jesse and Dayle B entered first. A shiver came over Dayle A's body at the threshold and she turned to look back once more. At the road she would never lay eyes on again.

It was so dark here. The streetlights long ago burned out, the moon shrouded by a veil of clouds. The wind whipped up again.

She was soaked to the bone, hurting all over. Her heart most of all. It was just like the night they'd met in her mind, the night she'd helped him find his way home. She closed her eyes. He'd helped her find her way too.

"Would you go on inside already and get warm woman. You'll catch your death out here." That unmistakable voice. Her eyes flew open.

He was there, partially cloaked in shadow. But was it really him? _"Doctor!?"_ She started toward him with both her hands held out. Was this an illusion? In the downpour on the untraveled road. Was this just a memory? She felt a hand grasp for hers and she captured it tightly between both of her own.

He was rain soaked but otherwise fine. Very much alive. "What... _how?"_ she asked him as he enveloped her in his arms. She touched his face, incredulous. "You were dead!" she told him, the tears returning. "You were definitely dead."

He shrugged. "Yes, well I was. But it occurred to me that I forgot to tell you something important so I figured I'd better just pop back over from the dead to say it." He leaned forward, pushed her wet hair back over her ear and whispered, "I love you Dayle Moss."

She just giggled and kissed him fiercely in the rain. The explanation could wait.

* * *

 ** _No, of course that's not how it ends. Come on now. Doctor Who isn't about magic. There is a perfectly logical (ish) scientific explanation for the Doctor's return from the dead._**

 ** _Just a few more chapters now. Was anybody else as stressed out as I was over these last two chapters? Jeez. Sci Fi anxiety. :) -Ruinous79_**


	35. Chapter 35

**_So, I thought it best to include a 'trigger' warning here. The second part of this chapter talks a lot about suicide and depression. -Ruinous79_**

* * *

 _The TARDIS, An Hour Later_

They were all sitting around in the TARDIS's kitchenette, which had fortunately gotten a bit bigger to accommodate a group of four. The small bistro table had been exchanged for a counter height dining room table now. Jesse and Dayle B were having strong coffee. Dayle A and the Doctor were having tea. They were all in dry clothes but were still trying to get warm.

"So you're saying you _were_ dead, and then you just weren't anymore?" Dayle B asked dryly. Hers was the expression of a woman that had seen just about enough crazy for one lifetime. She sipped her coffee and raised a cynical eyebrow.

"It's a bit more complicated than that." The Doctor explained. "A bit... well, more timey-wimey."

The others responded with very similar annoyed expressions. "Timey-wimey? Is that a technical term you learned at the Time Lord Academy?" Dayle A asked smirking.

The Doctor stood and began pacing, rubbing his hands together. "Well you see, that orb that Jesse threw at the Tregannon was more than just any ordinary bomb. It was a Gallifreyan weapon that was used quite often toward the end of the Time War. It makes sense that Arc could have gotten his hands on it, seeing that he masqueraded as a Gallifreyan General for some time. His knowledge of Time Lord weaponry would have been extensive, frighteningly so."

"So the orb that I threw, what was it then?" Jesse asked impatiently.

"It's called an Anti-Time Sphere. Just a smidgen of anti-time contained within an electromagnetic explosive device." The Doctor rejoined them at the table, leaning forward. "Anyone hit with an Anti-Time Sphere is simply erased from history. As if they never even existed." The Doctor folded his hands on the table and raised his eyebrows, looking around at them to see if they got it.

Dayle B was confused. "The fuck?"

Jesse was impressed. "Fuck yeah!"

Dayle A was stunned. "Fuckin crazy..."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "All three of you seriously need to consider expanding your vocabularies."

"So that means he never could have killed you!" Jesse exclaimed eagerly.

The Doctor grinned. "Exactly." He crossed his arms.

Dayle B shook her head, making a 'time out' gesture. "Hold up. If that horrible creature never existed, why do we all remember it? Why would we have been in the woods in the first place?"

Dayle A nodded her agreement. "And why am I still all screwed up? You get brought back from the friggin dead without a scratch on you and I feel like I've been hit by a bus. Seems legit." She was definitely pouting a bit.

"The Anti-Time Sphere has a localized effect. Anyone being hit by the device is erased from the timeline, any action they'd recently taken undone. But, that effect is only localized to about an hour before detonation. Anything else they might have affected beyond that is still moored to the original timeline. The device was developed to cause only confined temporal destruction. Otherwise the web of time itself could be irreparably damaged."

He hopped up, "Now, I think it's time we get the two of you back to your apartment, and back to your lives." He patted Jesse and Dayle B both on their shoulders and headed off to the control room.

 _Dayle B's Apartment, Shortly Thereafter_

This time he managed to materialize the TARDIS right inside Dayle B's apartment. She stepped out into her living room looking around.

"I'm impressed Lord of Time. Right on the mark for once." She looked back at him and grinned. Crossed her arms.

"Dayle." He said affectionately and gave her a big hug. "I'm so glad to have met you." He stepped back and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though I suppose the circumstances surrounding our meeting could have been a bit more pleasant. Like, for instance, it's too bad I only met you because I was nearly killed in a neutron star collision then tossed into a black hole which became a portal to a parallel universe from which my only escape was with the help of a telepathic version of you from my own universe, all as part of a plot for an evil Zygon Warlord to escape justice." He stopped and took a breath, clapped his hands together and raised his eyebrows. "Other than that, it's been lovely."

She just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Doctor, you're an amazing dude and I love you dearly but forgive me if I hope to never have to see you again." The Doctor figured she was only _half_ serious.

While the two Dayles bid each other a tearful good bye, the Doctor shook Jesse's hand. "You were brilliant. You helped protect both of these ladies from some very real danger when I wasn't around to do so. I will be eternally grateful."

Jesse patted him on the back, his eyes shining. "It has been my pleasure man. I doubt I'll have another opportunity for such an adventure in my lifetime."

The Doctor put his arm around Jesse's shoulder and said conspiratorially, "Wait til the two of you have kids, eh? _That_ is truly a whole other world."

The Doctor started to head back into the TARDIS while Jesse and Dayle hugged good bye. Jesse also gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry I thought you were a shape shifting alien." she said with a little chuckle.

Then the Doctor heard him mumble "Well, I'm sorry for what I said in the woods. You know. About your tits. I was only trying to help."

The Doctor froze. His eyes went wide and he turned around. "You said _what?_ " he demanded.

The Dayles just cracked up laughing. Dayle B waved it away. "It was a telekinetic thing. You had to be there."

And with that, the Doctor and Dayle A boarded the TARDIS and waved good bye to their new friends.

The Doctor headed to the console and tapped a few keys into the spatial input keypad. She walked over and joined hands with him, lost in her own thoughts. He looked down at her and said softly, "There's one more stop in this universe." She looked up at him curiously.

* * *

 _Lenore Byers Backyard, Moments Later_

Dayle was having a touch of anxiety, pacing back and forth across the control room floor. The Doctor waited near the TARDIS door patiently.

"So, you're sure she said she wants to meet me?" She asked for the tenth time, chewing her fingernail.

"She made me promise to bring you." he told her emphatically. "You have nothing to worry about. And you'll never get another chance like this again."

She sighed and nodded. Headed outside into a beautiful backyard with the Doctor close behind. She saw her mother standing expectantly on the back patio of a small brick home and froze. Her mother. Alive. She fought back tears and headed up the steps to introduce herself.

They faced each other in silence for a moment. "Dayle." Lenore said softly and then gave her a gentle hug. Dayle stood there, feeling disoriented, not quite able to return the hug. Unfazed, Lenore ushered them inside.

When they came to the living room, the Doctor offered to give them some time alone. "Don't go." Dayle said quickly. It was too much to handle alone. He nodded and sat in a chair.

Lenore and Dayle sat as well, on opposite ends of the sofa. Lenore cleared her throat. Dayle finally asked softly, "Why did you ask the Doctor to bring me?"

Lenore nodded and looked down at her hands. "I'm not entirely sure." She began. "I suppose I feel like... like you are owed an explanation. Like you deserve to know what may have happened... with your mother. With...me... in your world."

Dayle kept her face neutral. "You mean why parallel universe you killed herself?" The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yes." Lenore said softly, still unfazed.

"Well, I mean, I don't feel like anyone owes me anything." Dayle said, looking at the floor. She felt about eleven years old. "I don't guess any of us are owed a certain life, a certain type of mom..." she trailed off and finally looked directly in Lenore's eyes.

"I went through a major depressive episode when your dad left." Lenore began. "That was the very lowest point in my life. I didn't feel like I could make us a family without him. Maybe I felt like I wasn't enough." She paused and Dayle could see that she was still haunted by that time in her life. That it still caused her pain. And despite everything, Dayle could empathize.

"I remember the night." Lenore said suddenly. "I remember the night when I made the choice not to end my life." Yes. Definitely haunted.

"Why didn't you do it?" Dayle asked, her voice cracking along with her indifferent facade. The Doctor kept his eye on her. Concerned.

Lenore actually laughed a sad little laugh. "I was ready to. I was down in the basement of grandma's house, where we were staying at the time. I had everything ready. And then..." she shook her head and teared up for the first time. "And then I thought of you. I thought of you and Lynnette. And I'm not going to lie and say it was a selfless maternal concern. It wasn't how your life would be without me. It wasn't the damage it would do to you. It was such a selfish little thought." The quiet laugh again. "I thought of the way the two of you looked at me. With such pure love. No matter how much I messed up, no matter how hopeless I felt. I had the best kind of love there is. How could I throw that away?"

Dayle was crying softly now.

Lenore looked down at her hands. "On that day I decided that from then on, I would do whatever it took to deserve that love. It was what I worked toward every day. And even still..." She looked at Dayle and saw how upset she was, and went to her automatically. She wrapped her in her arms and Dayle didn't resist.

"So why wasn't that enough for my mom?" she asked, sniffling.

Lenore smoothed Dayle's hair back from her forehead and looked into blue gray eyes so much like her own. "Maybe her sadness was the kind that nobody comes back from. Maybe she was made just a little bit differently than me." She actually looked ashamed for an act she herself never committed.

Dayle began to regain her composure. She sat up and Lenore released her.

Dayle took a deep breath. "I have to ask. About dad." She shook her head, mystified. "The other Dayle, your Dayle told me that to this day you still call him the love of your life. How can that be? He was awful to us. He was a drunk. He abandoned us. He broke your heart."

Lenore nodded. "Your dad. He had a lot of problems. He was an alcoholic but he was also self medicating for depression. The man that I fell in love with had the biggest heart I've ever seen. When he was there he was the best daddy I've ever seen. He cried like a baby the day we got married and the day each of you were born. And never in my life before or since was I as certain about loving a man. Even when he was at his worst, even when we had both moved on, he always, always loved me and I him. Not a doubt in my mind." Lenore wiped away a tear.

"But you weren't together. He was never there for us. He was never what you needed him to be." Dayle was struggling to understand it.

"You're right. And I think I was right to never go back to him, though he tried a few times over the years. But Dayle honey, sometimes you meet someone who changes something in your heart. Someone you go through things with that nobody else could ever understand. And I don't have to tell you. Love doesn't always have a happy ending. And sometimes that's because despite everything, it just doesn't end." She laughed, sounding tired. "If that makes any kind of sense to you."

Dayle and the Doctor were looking into each others eyes, both smiling the same sad smile. It finally all made perfect sense.

 ** _(Be sure to read the epilogue as well!)_**


	36. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

 _The TARDIS, That Same Night_

"Ok, seriously. You have to tell me what that other thingee was. The Time Lord Technology we found at the crashsite." Dayle looked curious.

They were both relaxing in the library. They'd decided to wait until morning to head back through the wormhole. The Doctor had determined that the collapse issue he'd been concerned with before had resolved itself. And he wanted one more chance at a morning after. He hadn't exactly let her know that part yet. But he certainly had plans to make something happen.

"That thingee was something called a Stellar Manipulator. And it actually explains the last mystery in Arc's plan. He didn't foresee the neutron star collision. He caused it."

Dayle raised her eyebrows. "I can't believe there is actually something left to surprise me." The Doctor laughed and she shook her head. "So you're saying that thing can actually _move_ stars?"

He nodded, laughter in his eyes. "Precisely."

They sat in comfortable silence until Dayle got up and walked to him. He noticed she carried herself carefully, her ribs still sore. He wished he could make all her pain go away yet he knew if anyone could handle it, Dayle Moss could. She climbed into his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. He felt the butterflies and was sad for just a moment to know he might never feel them again.

She casually slung her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his. "Did you really not know?" She murmured softly.

"That a Stellar Manipulator can move stars? I've always known that." he answered, intentionally being thick. He knew just what she meant.

She knocked her head against his softly and he laughingly said "Ouch."

"You didn't know that I'd fallen in love with you? By the time we slept together."

He thought of a million wrong things to say and then he sighed and told the truth. "No. I had no idea. You just seemed OK with it being temporary and I guess, I just wasn't. Of course, you have the upper hand, All Knowing Oracle. You knew the moment I fell for you." He tucked a curl behind her ear and gazed at her adoringly.

She smiled, her dimples showing. "True. But you are a telepath too. If you were wondering you could have easily read my mind by touching my temples when we were... together."

He nodded. "I could have. But my telepathy is different than yours. It goes much deeper. I guess I felt like it would have been a violation."

He shifted then and leaned her back so she was cradled in his arms. He moved his face down close to hers. "Also, my hands were a bit busy at the time." He leaned down and began to kiss her neck and she cracked up laughing.

* * *

 _Dayle and the Doctor's Universe, One Week Later_

Dayle was looking through the poetry book shelves in the Arts & Literature section of the library. Savannah appeared over her shoulder suddenly and scared the shit out of her by critically reading the title of her selection out loud. "A Treasury of English Poetry. Ugh. Is that for a class assignment? Doesn't seem your usual type of thing."

"No smartass. I happen to like poetry." Savannah made a disgusted face and led the way to their table where Ember sat already reading. Dayle smiled at the little girl's rapt concentration. She loved that she had yet another reader in the family.

They sat and Dayle started flipping through the pages. She didn't want to tell Vannah that she wanted to read some love poems like some silly lovestruck teenager. And that it was because she was currently feeling a bit melancholy after saying good bye to the Doctor. She hurt, but not in a way that she felt needed to heal. It was a beautiful feeling actually. Knowing for certain he was out there somewhere still loving her. And she him. Their last night together had been perfect. They had laughed a lot. And he didn't even spoil the morning after.

It had taken a few days to take in everything that had happened to her. That she had seen and done. She found she quite missed Dayle B and knew there must be a psychiatrist couch somewhere with her name on it for that reason.

Her injuries had healed amazingly fast. She hardly felt any pain in her ribs only a week after having them cracked against a tree. The Doctor never said but she suspected the TARDIS had something to do with it.

"Mama, what's this word?" Ember suddenly broke into her reverie, pointing at the page of the book she was reading.

"Fortunate." Dayle said it slowly, sounding it out.

Ember repeated her, "Fortunate... what's that mean?"

Dayle considered that. All the dictionary definitions didn't seem to cut it. Lucky. Blessed.

After a moment's thought she said, "Fortunate is knowing you have just what you need." Ember seemed to consider that, nodded her approval and went back to her book.

Dayle went back to her poetry but was aware that Savannah was now watching her. Finally she looked up at her oldest daughter. "Vannah, you're creeping me out. Quit eyeballing me while I'm trying to read."

Savannah just smiled and said softly. "I love you mom."

Any pain she may have been feeling drifted away. She felt a thousand feet tall. She felt like she could do anything.

She also felt that she would spend the rest of her life trying to deserve the unconditional love her girls had for her. Because there was simply nothing better in the world than the love of a daughter.

* * *

 ** _I hope you'll check out the sequel I now have up: Chaos Theory_**


End file.
